Diary of a Recovering Runner

Yoga

2011-04-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I've actually had a lot to say over the past couple of weeks, but just haven't had a chance to sit down and type it all out. Looks like things are going to start picking up again pretty quick here...

I mentioned being interested, and I've done it once before, but I'm picking up hot yoga. Living Social had a fabulous deal a little over a week ago. For $20 you could attend 20 hot yoga classes at Blissful Spirits Hot Yoga. Considering that this is about 90% off the price of a 20 class membership, I went ahead and jumped on that, even though I'd already decided to hold off on the hot yoga until I was in better shape. Well, it turns out that my friend, T, had also bought the same deal and we immediately made plans to go two days later (last Thursday, 4/7).

Apparently, T and I were not the only ones who bought the Living Social deal. In fact, 880+ others had joined in on purchasing that, and it almost seemed like every single one of them had decided to attend the same class we had. I'll just say this....the 105 degrees that the room is heated to must have been well over that in reality. 50+ people showed up for that first class...we were squished together and everyone's body heat just increased the temperature in the room. Within the first few minutes I knew I was in for a real workout.

And a workout it was. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the fact that I was new and wasn't in my comfort zone. Maybe it was the fact that I've been pretty stationary for the past three months. Whatever it was, this class was rough. I couldn't hold some of the poses and I couldn't drink enough water. I started to get pretty down on myself and sunk into a foul mood...until the instructor reminded us to remember our dedications that we'd set at the beginning of class. Mine was to gain clarity in a difficult situation I was facing and to find inner peace. Just remembering that that was why I was there was enough to push through.

I left that first class with a red face, soaked clothes and drenched hair, but I also felt like I'd had the most amazing massage of my life. I felt relaxed, happy and at ease. Nothing bad mattered. This feeling lasted for several days and all I could talk about was how fabulous the class was. I couldn't wait to go back!

So my plan is to attend class every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Running/cycling/whatever can fit in around that. Now that I have experienced this other side to "working out" (because to me working out is usually not fun), it's all I want to do. I really think that I'll be able to see some real benefits in my life - not just physical side effects, but the mental and emotional clarity that I need.

99 Days

2011-04-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

I have never denied the fact that I am a lazy person. If I get an extra day off of work, you can bet that my only plan will be to sleep as much as possible. There's not much that I love more than pulling on a pair of pajamas and sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and a book (or the computer). But that's all over now.

After 99 days of either putting absolutely no weight on my foot, a lot of sitting on my ever-widening ass, or spinning away mindlessly on my trainer, I'm finally able to start running again! And I did. On the 100th day. :)

I need to clarify though. I'm using the word "running" very loosely here. My goal was 30 minutes, distance didn't matter. Pace didn't matter. All I needed to do was move for 30 minutes. I alternated 1 minute of running and 4 minutes of walking - just like I did over three years ago when I was first learning how to run. It was an amazing experience. I was a little sore and felt it in my foot and calf, but it wasn't painful. I only covered a mile and a half (approximately. I didn't want to measure it out) and who knows how much of that I actually ran, but it was awesome.

My new plan is to lay off the racing. For a long time, when I first started running and up through my first marathon, being slow really didn't bother me. I was out there, doing something that I enjoyed, and that's what mattered. But somewhere along the way, I let it get to me. And little by little, running lost it's glamour. I couldn't find the enjoyment in it and it was such a chore. I need to rediscover that and I think the way to do that is to just go out there, and run. No watches, no training plans, no structure at all. All I want now is to feel my body moving.

A Fresh Start

2011-03-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

I decided that this blog needed a new name, and since I'm not real excited by the idea of continuing with long distance running, I settled on this.

I wrote in the past about Bikram Yoga and I think I'm going to pick this up again. A local studio opened a location about 15 minutes from house and are offering a fantastic deal for new students, so I'll probably swing by the studio sometime this week.

Other than that, nothing exciting yet. Hopefully soon though - I haven't been this boring for so long in a while!

Moving along

2011-03-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

I've been really bad about this blog thing - and I realize that I start many, many entries that way. There has just been absolutely nothing worth writing about going on. I know it sounds a little sad, but I love that there is nothing BIG going on. For once. I'm not training for some ridiculously long race, studying for an incredibly hard exam, building a house or changing jobs. I'm just being, and I really hope that I can last the rest of the year like this (please please please, don't let things get out of control!).

I was cleared to start riding a stationary bike a few weeks ago, so I managed to find a fabulous deal on a fluid trainer on craigslist. I've been doing that a few times a week, although I'm trying ride every day, Mon-Thurs and again on Sat for this week. So far, so good. I'll be good to go running-wise on April 4 so I'll probably start that up again that afternoon, although I'm still in limbo with my running goals for this year (and most likely next year too). I was toying with the idea of Rock n' Roll Denver (which, for those of you who remember, was my first marathon) but I just saw that Rock n' Roll Vegas will be held in the evening this year. Hmm...an extra month and a half to train, a night time race, and VEGAS?! Count me in! Um...for the half, anyway.

We're tentatively making travel plans for the year too. Generally we do one big trip in spring/early summer for our anniversary and then maybe a few long weekends in Denver or Vegas, but that won't be the case this year. Although we were planning a week in Madrid this May, we're holding off until we can go for 2+ weeks at a time. Maybe next fall or in early 2013. We're planning a road trip to Vegas this May with my BFF and her boyfriend, and then we're going to wrap up the week in Dallas so we can catch Jimmy Buffett. Yes, I know. You just can't help what you love, right? And I love beaches, drinks and having a good time...therefore, my love for Jimmy Buffett is explainable. :)

So beyond that, my plan is to just kind of sit. Maybe get started on some landscaping for my back yard (blech, not exciting). I started playing around with making some jewelery so I'd like to see where that can go...not that it'll make a millionaire or anything, but at least it's something to fill my time. And I love that I can look at something and say "Hey, I can make that!" Yeah, it's not the best photo, but you can't be too picky when you're stuck at work with just a folder and the camera on your phone.

So...lets see if anything exciting comes up within the next couple of months - I need something to write about!

Brrrr!

2011-02-01T17:26:00.000-08:00

Like most of the country, I'm freezing my behind off right now! The banner at the bottom of the TV screen says that it's 10* in ABQ and I've heard over and over all day that the police dept is discouraging any travel in the metro area...scary, when the hubs drives for a living and HAS to be at work (and therefore, driving).

But I'll admit it - I'm a sucker for cold weather. I say I want to live somewhere that gets a real winter, and maybe I'd regret it once I'm actually there, but I'm totally digging this. The unfortunate thing about Albuquerque is that we're not really equipped to handle this, so even though there was only an inch or so of snow on the ground this morning, the roads were too icy to even consider getting to work (well, when you're on crutches and have to rely on other people to drive you). But even working from home today, I was actually so busy I didn't even get to eat lunch till about 5.00 tonight. Fun times.

But for now, I'm going to hobble my way to the kitchen to mix a warming, adult beverage (what, it's cold!), and then settle back down on the couch to wait for the hubs to get home. :)

8 days down!

2011-01-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's already been a week since my surgery. I'm definitely ready to get off this couch, but I know it's going to be quite the event going back to work. Just hobbling around the living room is enough to get me out of breath - I'm not sure how it'll be running around an entire floor full of accounting people, but I'm sure I'll manage. I just keep telling myself that these crutches are an excellent way to work on my upper body strength. ;-)

So far everything is going great though. I had a little scare on Wednesday morning when I fell in the bathroom trying to put my hair up. I ended up in more pain that I can describe and having to go see the doctor...but the good news is that he took the cast off and put me in a boot a couple of days early (and everything was fine, just sore for a day or two). Walking on it is nearly impossible though, but I plan to work on that a little this weekend. I doubt it'll be enough for me to get completely off the crutches by Monday morning, but hopefully I'll be a little more comfortable at work.

I don't have any feeling in the front of my leg, down around my ankle, but I'm sure it'll come back. The doctor didn't seem concerned at all about it on Wednesday and I had some serious tingling and a little pain in that area all day yesterday....hopefully that just means that the nerves are waking up.

But the great news is that I'll be able to start running again after the 6 week mark! It'll be slow going and the doctor warned me that at 6 weeks I may still be struggling with just walking around in a regular shoe, but I'm excited that it's coming. Even though I'm not sure how much running I'll be doing, I feel that once I hit that 6 week mark I'll be able to do pretty much anything I want to - time to get the bike tuned up!

Post-Op

2011-01-25T18:01:00.001-08:00

Well, I’m 4 days post-op from my plantar fascia release and so far, so good. I’m in a splint/cast thing for this week and then I’ll graduate to a boot on Friday. I’ll be in that 24 hours a day for two weeks, then at nighttime only for an additional three weeks. It’s been rough having to rely so heavily on other people to do simple things for me. Want to go upstairs to grab my hairbrush? Nope, gotta wait till the hubs is home so he can pick me up (I never mastered the crutches on the stairs, so I crawl and then can’t get up at the top). Want a re-fill on my water or soda? Better hope my sweatshirt with the pockets is near by because I can’t carry anything. And lets not even talk about attempting to take a shower.

But despite all of this, I’m doing pretty good. Very low pain, and save for one bad experience on the Vicodin, it’s been very manageable. I have no idea when I’ll be able to start running again…I’m assuming it will be sometime after I’m completely done with the boot, but that’s a question I plan to ask the doctor on Friday.

I’ve always known that my friends and family rock, but they have been truly amazing the past few days. We haven’t had to cook a single meal thanks to my family and all my friends/neighbors (funny story – we’re very close friends with 4 other couples in our neighborhood…3 of those couples actually live on our street within a few houses of ours). I am really a very lucky girl to have these people in my life.

Sometimes I Just Need to Hear Myself Talk

2011-01-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

…or type. Whatever.

My surgery is drawing closer – pre op is in five days– and I have very limited information on what to expect. This isn’t my doctor’s fault at all. He offered to tell me about it time and time again, but I thought that by keeping myself in the dark, it would never happen and I’d wake up one morning pain-free. Yeah, that didn’t happen and now I’m kicking myself a little bit.

Regardless, I have 100% full faith and trust in my doctor. Maybe I’m a little crazy just blindly trusting someone to slice open my body, but I’ve always liked him and felt confident in his work.

Anyway, I’m done whining.

So the hubs and I have been in our house for almost seven months now – holy god, where did the time go???! We have yet to do any decorating and it’s getting to the point of being ridiculous. We literally have two pictures hung (one is an amazing painting done by a very close friend, the other is a series of three wedding photos that my sister framed for us) and I haven’t put any thought at all what I want to do with the rest of the house. Until this weekend when the close painter friend brought it up (okay, he said that our house was really boring and I needed to work on that. True – harsh, but true...and FWIW, he said it with love).

So this is my idea. Please note that I am not an artist and this is not to scale. Also, the big squares are windows (which actually have white, wood blinds on them) and the little squares are pictures that I have yet to find. They are supposed to be the same size, similar in design and hanging in a straight line (although I’m not sure how many I’d actually need). There is also an armchair in the corner and we’re considering buying a couple of black leather ottomans to put under the window (or one big, long one…can you see how indecisive I am?).

So. That is what I want, in a nutshell. But it’s nearly impossible to find it because although I don’t know specifically what I want, I DEFINITELY know that I DON’T want anything that I’ve seen so far. It needs to be a little funky, but not completely out there. And they all need to tie together nicely and to be obvious that they’re related, but not matchy-matchy. Oh, and brightly colored too. Or maybe black and white photographs.

So, yeah. If you can find what I’m looking for, you get a gold star.

What’s that saying? If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself?

I’ve always wanted to be a photographer. My mom is a photographer and I grew up in her darkroom. I started to take classes when I was in college, but once I was informed that I’m not creative (not exactly a lie), I dropped it. Hence, I am now an accountant who has spent the past several months feeling lost and unhappy with where I am in life. Don’t get me wrong, I really like my job and I work with a great group of people. While I’m not sure that Beancounter is the right title for me forever, it is definitely where I should be right now.

But still…I’ve felt this disappointment in myself lately. I need a hobby. So here I am, with the 35mm camera I got when I started college and a roll of film, hoping desperately that I can somehow take the jumbled, disorganized ideas in my head and create something that I want to look at for at least the next couple of years.

And yes, you read that right. A 35mm camera and a roll of film. I’ve gone through two point-and-shoot digital cameras over the past five-ish years, the last of which died a horrific death on Halloween night, so I’m currently camera-less. I need a new point-and-shoot, but don’t have the cash to spend on it. And I really, really, really want a DSLR, which I definitely can’t afford right now. So, here goes nothing. An uncreative chick with a camera, undefined ideas and a roll (or six) of film. I feel better already.

New Beginnings

2011-01-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

This is certainly the time of year for new beginnings and I intend to have a few myself.

I have been in a funk. A deep, deep funk. I'm not sure that anything is really wrong with me, but I sure as hell have not been myself. I've had a very full past three years...mostly more good than bad, but still...very full. I got married and changed jobs in 2007, only to change jobs again in February of 2008. In fact, I started my new job the same day that my very first running program began, thus 2008 is now known as The Year of the Marathon. I ran the Denver Marathon only 9 months after that first, scary running group meeting. Since then I've fallen into injury after injury...knees, hamstrings, hips, then my foot. I pushed through plantar fasciitis so I could run the NYC Maraton in November 2009. Really, come on. You don't get into NYC on your first try and then NOT run it. I think that was the beginning of the end. I just didn't enjoy running anymore. It felt like a chore to just put my shoes on every time, and a lot of times, I'd get dressed only to end up sitting on the couch and feeling like a failure. When I signed up for Chicago in early 2010, I felt like it was something I needed to do. I'd run a marathon each year for the past two. What kind of a loser would just stop?

Well. Me.

Yes, there were other issues (like my foot being ready to fall off) but at the very base of it, I just didn't feel like it. I've run off and on since July, but nothing serious. Everytime I'd start to miss it, my foot would act up and I'd lay off for a while more. I think I've had enough...and I use "think" because while I've definitely had it up to here with this pain, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do once it's all fixed. But, regardless of where the future takes me, I've decided that getting this issue fixed is my top priority right now, so on January 21, my podiatrist will perform plantar fasciitis surgery on my right foot.

I'm excited to have something that is more likely to work (trust me, I've done it all), but at the same time, this is kind of a big, scary step and I'm hopeful that I'm one of the many that don't have any issues going forward.

So, I guess all I can do at this point is sit back and see where things go from here.

So.

2010-10-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

I pretty much suck at this whole blogging thing. And I really, really suck at this whole fitness thing. Granted, I'm about ready to amputate my foot - just walking around all day on Saturday was enough to make it hurt enough to produce tears every time I took a step on Sunday - but it's not like I've really been doing anything in the meantime. The Duke City HM is completely out...I could do the 5k if I want, but I'm not sure I do. Sure, I'm disappointed in myself, but I'd be a big, fat liar if I said that I haven't enjoyed some of the time off. But speaking of, I will be big and fat(ter) before too long if I don't get back into things soon here.

But while I'm trying to do that, I've decided that this blog needs some life, so all of you who read this (who could be no one at all for all I know) will now get a close glimpse into my life. I'm - by far - not an interesting person, but I don't want this thing to die off. I also don't want it to turn into a "woe is me" thing either. And considering I haven't done much running lately, I really don't have anything to say about that.

Really, I'm a little shocked at myself. I worked so hard a couple of years ago to get myself to Denver and then it all just slowly unraveled. I go back to the podiatrist next Tuesday, so hopefully he'll have some good news for me and that can get me going again.

Ok, now I'll step away from the "woe is me" thing. For real.

For those of you who have stuck around, thank you. I have a lot to work out and it's nice to know that some of you are still there. Lets hope this can get going again.

Week 1 - Complete

2010-09-07T20:20:00.001-07:00

Well, it kinda bled into Week 2, but I'm actually on track to make it to the Duke City Half next month. The next two weeks will be completely insane...I have some training for work from Sept 13-16, but I'm flying in on Saturday afternoon and leaving Friday afternoon. Come on, I'm not going all the way to Orlando without make a stop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. :)

So I'll get home from Orlando on Friday night, go to a concert here on Saturday night (Zac Brown Band) and then fly out on Sunday night to Dallas. Thankfully, I'm only going to be in Dallas for 3 days and my time there always goes so fast. Unfortunately, my Dallas trip is only one in a sequence of them. I'm assigned on a project out there till mid-November, and while I enjoy my co-workers in that office and the change of scenery, it will wreck havoc on my training.

At least I have something planned for now. Now it's just a matter of actually registering and keeping up with the training. Oh, and buying a new pair of shoes. :)

A Man With a Plan

2010-09-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I'm not a man, but I do have a plan...and it's about damn time.

I'm going to run the Duke City Half Marathon. It's not ideal and I've been avoiding this (local) race for the past couple of years for a few different reasons (can you say "disorganized"?) but I need some kind of a goal besides seeing how many times in a day I can run to the fridge from the couch. So I have about 7 weeks and am starting out on Saturday at 4 miles. I know I can do this, but I need to commit 100% to it.

And this probably means skipping out on the Albuquerque Beer Festival the day before. FML.

Break Time = Done

2010-08-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm going to admit it. I haven't run in about a month. I have no excuse besides the fact that I enjoy sleeping, so I did a lot of that. I don't miss getting up at 4AM every Saturday just so I'll have enough time to eat without having to worry about puking on my double digit run. I don't miss spending hours of my weekend on hot, hilly roads. But this past week I realized that I did miss being active and actually moving around. So even though I skipped out on my circuit class at the gym tonight (PS, I also took about 3 weeks off from that...last week I went twice though) I figured I was already dressed, it was overcast, breezy and not 95 degrees....so I went for a run.

Just a small run. A 2 mile run. That was uphill both ways (ok, only a little uphill on the way out but a huge, long, steep uphill on the way back). It sucked and it was slow, but I only walked a total of three times, a minute each time.

And now I'm sitting on the couch, all stinky and gross, and I feel fabulous.

Maybe - MAYBE - I'll get up and do this again in the morning. Or maybe I'll sleep in.

Hard decisions

2010-07-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

I've decided to drop out of the Chicago Marathon. Just saying it out loud makes me sick to my stomach. I'm in a really weird place over it. I want to do it...running a marathon is indescribable and I've enjoyed every second of my hours upon hours of the two I've done. After running NYC last year, I was so looking forward to doing Chicago. Plus, I have an amazing friend who lives out there that I haven't seen in a really long time and another friend was going to be there the same weekend. But between an injury for the hubs (although he's feeling better now) and my PF acting up on a daily basis, plus a new house (with a new mortgage to go along with it) it's just hard to justify.

And what's probably the most important reason to skip it...

I'm just not that into it.

I feel so guilty for even thinking that way, but really...I just don't wanna. I've pushed through two marathons with other big life events going on in the background (CPA exam, job changes, etc) and now that things are calming down a bit I just want to sit. Well, maybe not "sit" (but that sounds really good too...) but go without a focus. I'm in decent half marathon shape right now and there are a couple of those coming up over the next couple of months. Maybe I'll do those. Or maybe I won't. Maybe I'll get up and run 6 miles on Friday...or maybe I'll make it 4 and decide that I'm done for the weekend...or maybe I'll get to the 6 and decide to keep going (unlikely).

So it looks like 2010 is shaping up to be a pretty interesting year. I'm curious, and a little nervous to see where I end up, at least fitness-wise.

Also, I know this is totally unrelated, but I wanted to send out a quick congrats and "I love you" to my sister, Hope...she's marrying an amazing man on Saturday! Pictures to come!

I swear...

2010-07-04T20:25:00.001-07:00

I don't know where the time has gone, but I've gotten really, really bad about blogging. I guess that all I can do for the time being is to give you all a quick little update about what has happened in the past month.

First, the hubs and I closed on our new house on June 17 and promptly moved in. Somehow all of our stuff made it into the garage by late morning on the 18th thanks to a group of dedicated friends and family. It was shocking how fast it all went. The unpacking on the other hand...not so fast. The kitchen and dining room are completely done, the living room is about 95% done but all three bedrooms upstairs are a complete disaster. Thankfully the hubs's friend is coming to stay for a couple of days on Tuesday so I'll finish the guest room tomorrow.

Running is slow-going, but that's not unusual. We have both paved and dirt trails literally right outside our front door, so I'm digging that. It's been great to be able to just step outside and go. Because of that I've been a teensy bit better about going in the morning before work, but I'm always late when I do it because I just can't get myself up. I'm hoping this coming week will be a little easier. Also, I was getting ready to leave for my 10 mile run yesterday morning when my Garmin Forerunner refused to turn on, so I went blind. Somehow I got 11.21 miles in, so at least I wasn't under. But the extra mile plus the heat and humidity and the fact that I forgot to eat before I left caught up with me about 7 miles in. I really struggled with the end of that run and actually stopped at home around 8 miles in to re-fill my water. I'm really surprised that I went back out and finished instead of laying on the couch the rest of the day.

Also, thanks to the recommendation of some of my running friends, I've joined Southwest Sports Institute (SWSI) and am loving it. They really focus a lot on using your own body weight to work out, coupled with the fact that absolutely everyone is welcome. It's a great gym and I'm having a lot of fun going. I've been pretty good about making it to the circuit class several times now and they just started offering yoga, so I'll be getting more into that once I buy a new mat (thankfully this blog post is now updating my shopping list for tomorrow).

So happy 4th to everyone and hopefully I'll be a little better about updating this thing in the future. :)

Eeeek!

2010-06-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's been about a month since I had time to blog...I can't believe how fast the time's gone!

Quick updates:

House: We close in two weeks from tomorrow! The kitchen looks absolutely amazing and is by far my favorite room in the house...and we don't even have appliances yet! All that's really needed still is appliances, carpet and toilets (although that may have been done over the past couple of days). Now that it's getting so close, I'm getting super excited!

Trip: The hubs and I got back from our big trip of the year almost two weeks ago. It was fabulous - 5 days in Belize! Well, it was supposed to be 6 days, but thanks to a mishap at the ABQ airport, we were stuck in Houston the night we left. Oh well, it was still a wonderful trip to celebrate 3 years of marriage...which I really can't believe at all. I absolutely loved the trip though and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Running: Well, not much to report. I think I'm laying off races the rest of the year and will just focus on Chicago this year. I really want to do well (I know, I've said it about 9,000 times so far) so I'm going to try focusing

on just one thing. I'm getting some speedwork in now thanks to my friends at Fleet Feet Albuquerque. So far it's going really well even though I just started...I did a quick 6 miles last weekend and was shocked with my time, especially considering it was hot and hilly. Here's hoping I can meet my goal for Chicago! And no, I'm not telling you what my goal is. :) Only the hubs has been told and I'd be willing to bet money that he doesn't even remember.

So that's pretty much it. Not a lot. I know (and hope) the next two weeks fly by and then we'll have the adventure of getting the house set up and reasonably ready for visitors!

Race Report - Albuquerque Run for the Zoo 10k

2010-05-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

This was my first 10k ever and it. was. amazing! I think I really liked racing that distance (not that there's much "racing" for me, but you know what I mean). The weather was confused as to what time of year it was - it was May 2 but about 35 degrees and had snowed/rained the day before. Not typical balmy May weather, and as such, most of my winter running stuff has been packed and put in storage. Luckily I had a couple of things with me and the jacket that I got from No Boundaries just a couple of weeks ago.

The race is funky little loop thing that starts right by the zoo, cuts through a very small portion of the zoo and then hits a long street...you go south on this street, turn around and go north, pass the area that you enter this street, turn around and go south, and then cut through some neighborhoods to the finish. So, in short, you can see everyone ahead of you a few times (and be reminded that you are at the back of the pack). I went into this with one goal - run the entire distance. No walk breaks. Not even for water. I've done a six mile training run without walk breaks once before, but half way through this race, I realized that I'd stopped in the middle of it to chat with a couple of friends...so this was new for me.

I paired up with my friend, D, not knowing that she had the same goal, and we took off. Things were going great - sometimes she'd pull a little ahead, sometimes I pulled ahead, but we were side by side for the most part. Until Mile 2. That's where we met the Pink Ladies. This was another running duo (obviously women wearing pink) who decided to time their walk/run intervals to us. They'd walk...we'd catch up and pass them...they'd run till they passed us by a good little distance and then walk...we'd catch up...etc. They were annoying, but not enough to make me want to scream, even though one of them punched me in the side thanks to flailing her arms about as she walked when I tried to run past her.

But then we met The Group of Doom. This was a group of three women, all of them slightly older than D and I but far more in need of a good throat punch. They'd walk, all three side by side (thus, taking up most of the road) and peek over their shoulders every few seconds. As soon as we got even to them, they'd take off as fast as they could for about 30-60 seconds, and stop to walk, again peeking over their shoulders. This annoyed me to no end. Maybe it's because we'd already been dealing with the Pink Ladies when we met The Group of Doom...maybe it's because they spread out and walked side by side, taking up the entire street and making it hard to pass through them...maybe it was the fact that they were so blatantly using us as a target. The fact of the matter is, I'm slow...I get passed all the time, so it won't hurt my feelings if you pass me and stay up there. On the other hand, I understand how it is to be in the back, but hey - someone's gotta be last and it isn't always going to be me!

Anyway, thanks to D's "relax, ignore them" comments, we finally tired them out and stayed ahead around Mile 5...at which point, D grew wings and took off. I managed to hang with her for a few minutes, but I knew that if I wanted to finish without puking, I'd have to let her go. I ended up finishing a little behind her in 1:18:43 (according to my Garmin, I haven't found official results yet). Even though this would be an instant PR thanks to the fact that it was my first 10k, this is faster than I normally do 6 mile training runs - by about 3 minutes - so I'm pretty excited.

Next up:

Laying on a beach in Belize: May 15-21

Not really sure after that...maybe Will Run for Wine 5k?

3 Lousy Little Letters, A Race Report - and 1 Amazing Thing

2010-04-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Being as there is so much good in my life, I'm going to focus on that first. On Thursday, April 15, 2010, at 7.13 in the morning, my amazingly beautiful nephew was born. Logan Kent weighed in at 7 pounds, 3.8 ounces and was 20.75 inches long. He is truly, without any doubt, the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on. I am so excited to have a little nephew! While I was super happy during my sister's pregnancy, I'm honestly surprised by how excited and in love I am with this little dude. Don't get me wrong - I knew I'd be happy and that I'd like the kid - but as a self-proclaimed anti-child person, I'm literally shocked by my reaction to him. I love this kid more than words can describe. So that's my one amazing thing...and he is one of the best things to happen to our family! :)

Now, a short race report for the Will Run for Margaritas 5k that was held on April 10. This race was at 1.00 on a Saturday afternoon - seems like a fabulous idea, right? You get to sleep in, go on a 3 mile jaunt and then enjoy happy hour specials at a local New Mexican restaurant chain. This was a good idea in theory only. 1.00 PM is much too late for a spring race in New Mexico. It. was. HOT. And disorganized. The course was something I can't even begin to describe, but I'll suffice it to say that we had to stop twice to get through a tiny little fence. Even though I'm complaining about this, it won't deter me from participating in the remaining two events that the same company is sponsoring - we have Will Run for Wine on May 29 (with complimentary access to the local wine festival following the race) and Will Run for Beer in June. Let's just say I believe in running for a good cause - and drinking refreshing adult beverages after a race is a fantastic cause!

And now on to my disturbing news. Last weekend - April 17 - the hubs and I participated in the Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Half Marathon. This race has been around for a while, but it was given a new name this year. I've never participated in it (there's a laundry list of reasons, but I'll sum it up to say that the shop that sponsors it makes a complete and utter mess out of their races, so I choose to stay as far away as possible). This was the hub's 2nd year doing it and he did great - 2:11 and some change. Me, on the other hand...it was one of the worst days I've had in a very long time. I didn't finish. I have never, ever, ever, EVER dropped out of a race before, but I knew from the get-go that this wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. First of all, there was a good .5+ mile walk to the start - no biggie, I've done longer. But I've never walked through .5+ miles of deep, slippery mud to get to the start...and even though the hubs kept telling me that that would be part of the course, I chose to ignore him and hope that he was wrong. He wasn't. Just like the Margarita run the week before, we all stopped at a bridge that required we cross 2-3 people at a time...and then we hit the mud. For 3 miles.

I'm not sure what was wrong...I don't know if it was the fact that I slacked on my icing/stretching the week prior, or if it was the fact that I was

"gripping" the ground with my toes for both the walk to the start and

for those first 3 miles. It was probably a combination. But whatever it was, my legs felt like lead within the first couple of miles and my foot had that familiar and terrible tearing feeling by the time we got off the mud and onto the pavement. I stopped to stretch, I re-tied my shoes...nothing was working. Finally, I got to 7 miles and decided I'd had enough. I called my dad and asked him to come get me. I walked another half mile to get to a busier intersection so my dad could find me...and I stood there crying for a good 10 minutes waiting. It was humiliating. My dad was nice enough to not only take me to the finish line, but he stuck around with me and the hubs while we said our goodbyes to everyone and then drove us to our car so we wouldn't have to do that slippery mud again.

I know I made the right choice...I took all of last week off and my foot is really feeling better. I did 3 miles Saturday morning and it was perfectly fine. But it was the hardest, most heart-breaking choice I've ever made. I actually trained for this specific race - every other half marathon I've done has been a part of marathon training. Oh well. I've moved on (for the most part) and have Chicago to focus on now. And a new baby in the family. :)

Next up: Run for the Zoo 10k (my first 10k!) on May 2

Laying on a beach in Belize May 15-21

Will Run for Wine 5k on May 29

Houses, and Travel and Races - oh my!

2010-04-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

So it's been forever since I last popped in here. Honestly, I think about it all the time, but there's just so much going on.

Our condo is under contract to be sold. As of right now, we're expected to close on April 19. We had the appraisal today, so fingers crossed it went well. We're mostly moved out and really just need to get out bedroom and kitchen packed up, which I don't think we can really do until we're about ready to leave (which will be official on the 18th). In related news, the new house is coming up great! It's actually a house now, four walls, a roof and all! We got windows, doors, plumbing throughout and ductwork in last week. This week is electrical. I can't believe how fast it's going, but I know once we move out of the condo it will seem to slooooww down.

It looks like I'll be working out of Dallas for a while too. Right now the plan is for me to go out 3 days/week and the project will last about 6 weeks. I'm not sure if I'll be out here the entire 6 weeks, but I'm here now and will be next week as well. If it wasn't such crazy timing with the house and all, I'd be way more excited. I really like Texas a lot and I enjoy my coworkers out here (even though I hardly see them) and I know I'd have a lot more fun if I wasn't so dead tired. As of right now, I've been up since 4 AM and am planning on hitting the sack as soon as I'm done with this entry.

In health news (since that's what this is supposed to be about), I have quite the race calendar over the next several weeks. I have a 5k this coming Saturday (Will Run for Margaritas 5k - seriously, how can you skip out on that?!), a half marathon and a 5k next weekend (the 17 and 18), another 5k the 25th, a 10k on May 2 and I think another 5k somewhere in there. Whew. It's going to be a busy next few weeks. Granted, I'm not actually registered for any of these races, so it'll be interesting to see which ones I have the time for (and that my bank account will be able to support).

The half is a sure thing though - I've actually trained for this one. I'm anxious to see how I do. Stay posted for race reports.

Ok, It's 7.05 out here and I'm ready for bed. Adios!

A foot follow up

2010-03-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I went to the podiatrist again today and the good news is that nothing's wrong with my Achilles, which is what I was worried about. He's still convinced it's plantar fasciitis and that it's treatable. Since I've already gotten the custom orthotics and have done a round of anti-inflammatories, he suggested either a cortisone injection or physical therapy 3 days/week for 3 weeks (minimum). I'll be the first to say that I'm a gigantic baby when it comes to shots...I will cry and beg doctors to not give them to me. But that's the route I went. I just can't see struggling with this for at least another 3 weeks when I can take the next 5 days off and then feel better.

The injection was a bitch and I'm glad it's over. My foot's been numb all night and it's terrible to walk on, but it should feel better tomorrow (numbing-wise...it may be a little more painful than normal). I hope this is all that I need. I'm not sure I can keep going with this.

Race Report - Up and Running 5k...and a little extra

2010-02-28T08:36:00.000-08:00

So I ran the second race in Fleet Feet Albuquerque's Gran Prix 5k series. This one was familiar but a little different. The race was on the Bosque bike trail starting at the Alameda Open Space, where I generally run since it's so close to home. This one started up on the bridge though, over the river, went down under Alameda and continued a little passed Paseo before turning around and going back...very familiar for the most part, except for the giant, steep hill around Mile 3. It's not a long hill, but it's very steep.

Overall it was a great race, complete with lots of friends. It was freezing cold with a headwind all the way through the turn around, complete with a little snow (or ice...one flake hurt when it smacked me in the lip). I finished in 41:09 and I was thrilled with it considering I haven't had time to run during the week BUT I managed to run the entire thing without stopping. This is one of my goals for the year - I really want to get better at running further without walk breaks. I still plan on taking walk breaks for Chicago, but if I can make it through a half without stopping, I'll be elated.

In other news, I had a 6 mile training run yesterday, which I was a little nervous for. Again, I haven't had the time to run as much as I should and I honestly haven't run that far since NYC. Not only did I make the 6 miles without dying, it was the fastest I've ever run that distance. I went in with a plan though. I ran the first and last miles as slow as I wanted (13:30 pace for the first mile) and then each of the middle miles faster than the one before. So, for Mile 2 I had to keep it below 13:00 pace, Mile 3 was below 12:50 pace, Mile 4 was below 12:45 pace and Mile 5 had to be below 12:40 pace...the exciting part was that I never saw my watch go above 12:20 on Mile 5. Yeah, I know that's crawling for some people, but I was blown away. Overall I finished in 1:17:25...before that my fastest was 1:20. I'm glad I set up my watch to show my current pace, so I'm going to see if I can keep this going.

Not much else is going on. Work's been nuts, but it should have calmed down over the weekend. I have an appt with the podiatrist tomorrow because my foot isn't getting any better - actually my Achilles is starting to bother me now and I'm getting a little worried about it. Maybe it wasn't PF after all. I'll update once I get some answers from the doc tomorrow. The permits have been pulled for the new house and the foundation will be started tomorrow. I can't wait to see our new home come up from the ground (literally)! I'll be back with pictures once we get some dirt moved around. :)

Talk about slacking off...

2010-02-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

So, it's probably been about a month since I've had anything to say and it has been a CRAZY month. Not too much to report on the fitness-side of things. With my crazy work schedule lately, it's been hard to get out during the week. Luckily all that is slowing down and I should be able to get back into a good routine this week. I have a 5k tomorrow morning and I'll be doing a 2 mile "warm up" before that to make up for missing today's run...

And I missed today's run because the hubs and I are in the process of building a new house! I can't believe it! We initially bought our condo thinking we'd be here for about 2-3 years and then either move into a bigger house or possibly move out of state...4 1/2 years later we finally decided to take the plunge. It helps a lot that a couple of our best friends will be living 2 houses away from us and that we have several other friends building on the same street. We listed the condo a week ago and have had 4 showings (3 were the same couple) but no offers yet. I'm a little nervous about selling the condo before closing on the new house (yes, I realize this may be the dumbest thing I've ever done) but it'll all work out. So, we signed the contract for the new houseon Thursday and we're expected to get started the end of this coming week...closing will be the end of June to mid-July!

And this is where our new home will be (eventually):

And here's me and the hubs chillin' at the lot last weekend:

I'll be back tomorrow with a race report!

Here We Go Again

2010-01-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

So my laziness is finally catching up to me and I've decided that I'd better re-join my running group this year if I don't want to sit around and watch my ass spread even larger. I haven't actually registered yet, thanks to 11-13 hour days at work, but I'll be there bright and early Saturday morning to register and get my 3 miles in. I've still been able to get out on the weekends, but it's the weekly runs that are hard (see above re: 11-13 hour work days). Maybe once I spend some money it'll motivate me to juggle my schedule around a bit. And one of my co-worker friends is joining too so that'll probably help.

I'm considering a gym membership too. I will not run on a treadmill - seriously, if my life depended on it, I'd probably choose death - but it'd be nice to have a yoga class and a pool available if/when I want them. I'm trying to decide between two gyms right now...a pricey, very nice gym with one location a 5 minute walk from my office and another location on my way home from work (and about a 5 minute drive from home) OR a not-so-pricey, not-so-nice gym with more convenient group class times, still on my way home from work (about a 10 minute drive from my house) and no where near my office. Ugh, the decision making process kills me. Thus, the whole plan has been tabled for at least another few days.

So yeah, not much else to add considering my laziness has taken over. Hopefully more to report on Saturday after my first No Boundaries meeting of 2010.

A Late Race Report - Run to Resolve 5k

2010-01-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

I ran this 5k a few weeks ago and just never got around to updating my blog. My local running shop, Fleet Feet Albuquerque, has a Gran Prix going this year - a race per month. The Run to Resolve 5k was the kick off to the Gran Prix and my first race of 2010. It was held in a weird area, starting at the soccer fields right next to Journal Pavilion and then wound its way through a cross country trail. The course was a little challenging with some up and down hills and some off-road terrain, but it was nice and different from the usual race. Like everything Fleet Feet does, it was well-organized and fun. It was a small group, about 50 people total, but it was a nice change compared to my last two races (the Turkey Trek, also sponsored by Fleet Feet, and the NYC Marathon). I was impressed, though not surprised, and will be participating in as many of the races as possible this year.

Also, last weekend a couple of my friends, Cindy and Denise, participated in the Goofy Challenge at Disney World. For those of you not in the know, the Goofy Challenge is a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday. Making the whole thing even more impressive is the fact that this was Denise's very first full marathon. Congrats to them!

Running-wise, things have been a little slow around here. Work has been crazy with year-end stuff going on but we're hoping to get all of that wrapped up by mid-February and to get back on a decent schedule. I'm considering re-joining my running group for their spring session this year. I was dead-set on not joining this year (at all), but now I'm having second thoughts. I do better when I have structure, and even though I've found that I enjoy running alone more than with a group, I think that having a group environment is helpful for me. I'm going to talk to a few people and get some more opinions before making a concrete decision though.

Welcome, 2010

2010-01-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

All right, here we go...the start of a new decade. I think I'm looking forward to this. Don't get me wrong, 2009 was a good year, but I'm glad to see it go and to move on to the fresh, new year.

Anyone who knows me half-way decently knows that I'm not one for New Years resolutions. I don't understand the point of waiting till a specific date to start bettering yourself. What's wrong with today, right now, this very second? As for bettering myself, I've already come up with a few ideas. Some have been put into place, some will begin when the time is right.

- I'm going to take my training for Chicago seriously. I won't have my exam this year (!!), so that really should make it a lot easier, time-wise/stress-wise. This will be my "big" race of the year. Nothing else will really matter.

- That said, if I don't make another race because of Chicago training, that's okay. I'm not going to let myself get upset over. Which leads to...

- I'm not going to let my friends influence me so much. If I don't feel like doing something, I'm not going to do it. They're an amazing group of people and I know they won't be "mad" if I don't follow along with whatever they do...now I just need to act on that and get over this feeling of letting them down.

- I really need to carve out some more "me" time, which includes "me and the hubs" time. Between my exam and his school/work schedules, we haven't seen a lot of each other over the past year and a half.

Happy New Year to everyone! I'll be kicking it off with a bang tomorrow (the 3rd) with a 5k and continuing with some of that "me and the hubs" time while we really get into some home projects. Hope everyone has a great 2010!

Neglect

2009-12-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

I've been letting a lot of things go lately...I'm not sure it's necessarily a bad thing, just different. Firstly, I haven't written in a while, but it's not like that's new. There just hasn't been much to say. But really, I haven't been running much. It took me a long time to wrap my mind around it and to be okay with it (and I'm not really sure I'm "okay" with it yet), but I think I'm burnt out. For anyone who's been reading my ramblings since Day 1 - or for those of you who's known me this whole journey - it's not unusual for me go through phases where "I love this!" or "I hate this!" with running. I'm not loving OR hating it right now. I just don't wanna. And when I don't wanna, I won't. I'm all about good intentions, and every weekend I'll have something planned out, but the majority of the time something better pops up (shopping, cleaning, movies...yes, you really did read "cleaning" in there). I thought for sure that after I finished my exam I'd jump wholeheartedly into running, but nope, it didn't happen. Instead, I just want a break.

I think I need something new. I still plan to run Chicago in October, so as much as I'd love spend the next decade sitting on the couch, I can't. I want to really investigate this bikram yoga thing, so I think I'm going to go that direction. And like I said, Chicago is still on the calendar, so I can't stop running altogether...I'm going to send out a couple of emails after I'm done rambling here to see what I can do to keep moving without wanting to cry at the mere thought of it.

I feel better though, coming to this conclusion. I didn't do it alone...it came through the words of one of my greatest friends. As usual, she (and everyone else) had asked me if I was meeting up to run on Saturday morning and I finally just told her everything I'd been thinking. And all she said was "It's okay." And you know what? It really is. All the pressure to go go go go go went away...and just because everyone else is doing it, I don't have to.

And now that the pressure is gone, I was able to go out and do a 3 mile run this morning. Without a watch. Completely pressure-free.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I think it's safe to say that we all - myself especially - have a lot to be thankful for. I try to keep these things in mind year-round, but it's not always easy...it's easy to lose sight of things and to start to take some things for granted.

The hubs and I got up this morning and participated in the Turkey Trek 5k in Albuquerque's Nob Hill. It was our second year doing this race, but it was a new course. While the race was even more well-organized than it was last year (which was surprising because I thought last year was run very well), the course was a slight disappointment - a less than 1 mile stretch along Central that we looped, which includes a pretty significant hill that you hit twice. The hill, I can handle...the loop, I can handle....passing the finish line 3 times and not being able to go through it - that's kind of rough. It was a great day though - about 30* when we started, clear, perfect weather and a huge crowd (probably about 800 people) with spectators along the street. This leads to the most important thing I'm thankful for today - my ability to get up and run or do something active every day. I realize that there may come a day at some point where I don't have that luxury and I need to take advantage of this while it's here.

We were there with the group of friends that I met initially through Albuquerque Fit, most of whom are helping out with the No Boundaries program that Fleet Feet - Albuquerque sponsored this year. They are an amazing group of people who have pushed me through so much stuff - not just running stuff, but life stuff too. Francine, Denise, Cindy S., Kayleigh, Randy, Leisha, Cindy E., Rona, Bobby, even Terie was there in her boot to watch us and cheer us along. I don't normally mention people by name in my blog, but these friends are wonderful and I wanted them to be mentioned. I'm thankful that I've had the opportunity to know this group of people and that they've put up with me through a lot of stuff over the past year. It's been hard between work, studying and a different training schedule but I couldn't have done any of it without them.

The hubs - Mike to those of you who know him in real life - ran this race too and he kicked ass, as usual. We got to warm up together and I realized that it was the first time we'd ever run together...it was nice. I liked doing it, but I also like knowing that we can go out separately, have fun and that he'll be at the finish line cheering for his super slow wife 15-20 minutes after he's done. Our families didn't come to this race since it's a holiday and they're all doing a lot more cooking than we're going to do, but they were there in spirit. They rock though...there's been plenty of times they've dragged themselves out the door - or even across the country (or in my dad's case, across an ocean when he came to watch me in NYC - he was working in London) to spectate a race. There's also the other friends who don't run and think I'm nuts (Alicia, I'm looking at you) but they listen to me go on and on and on about stuff they probably don't understand and/or have no desire to know about. Finally, it's for these people, the people who deal with me and my "obsession," that I am thankful for.

And my finish time? 38:20...about a minute slower than my PR, but I'm damn happy with it. I ran the entire thing with the exception of ~20 second walk breaks at the two water stops. This is the most I've ever run consecutively and I'm planning to build on that and to work some speedwork into that in 2010, along with marathon training for Chicago now that I got the hubs roped into that. :)

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone. Eat too much, take a nap, plan out your Black Friday shopping trip and remember the importance of the day.

A Little Different, A Lot New - Bikram Yoga Review

2009-11-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

This is late and I apologize for the delay. Last Wednesday (11/18/09) I attended my very first Bikram Yoga class at Hot Yoga in Albuquerque. The studio is on Central, just a little bit west of I25. I'd noticed it because the side of the building facing Central is nothing but windows, so you can see inside as you drive by, but I didn't realize it was a Bikram studio until I was doing some research on yoga studios in the ABQ area about a month ago. While I've done hatha yoga before - and absolutely loved it - I'd always been intrigued by Bikram, even though I generally (okay, always) hate the heat. For those of you that don't know, Bikram is done in a room that is heated to about 105 degrees and consists of 26 poses done over the course of 90 minutes. Under normal circumstances, that doesn't sound like fun to me, but I'd like to think I can keep an open mind about things and I've been wanting to try this for a few years now.

I got to the studio about 20 minutes early because I wanted to make sure I understood what to expect and how and where to set up my stuff. Luckily, I was able to meet the instructor before class began and she gave me a high-level overview of what to expect and made it very clear that I could leave the room if I felt uncomfortable at any time. Yes, the point of the class is to push your limits, but it shouldn't make you sick or anything like that...after reading some pretty negative reviews on other studios around the country where students weren't allowed to leave the class once it began, I was relieved to hear this.

The room is hot and humid - you'll sweat a ton doing this - but it's not unbearable. It wasn't the relaxing yoga that I was hoping for...instead, I got a serious workout from it, but I really enjoyed it and felt my muscles working. I can understand how people can hurt themselves though if they don't know their limits...it's very easy to stretch too hard in that kind of heat and I can see how you may pull something. We only did a handful (3-4) familiar poses, but I still got a great stretch. I'd gone in with some upper back pain that'd been around for a couple of weeks and my left hip had been screaming at me since my run the night before...it was gone when I walked out.

If you decided to go, a few tips:

- Wear as little as possible. I wore spandex shorts and a running singlet.

- Bring a towel to throw over your mat...you'll need it and it'll reduce your chance of slipping on your sweat-soaked mat.

- Bring a bottle of water and hydrate well before, during and after the class.

- Know your limits before the class. You'll feel like you can twist yourself up like a pretzel, but if you normally can't, don't try it now. It's an injury waiting to happen.

- Go in with an open mind. It may not be for you, but give it a shot and make the decision after the class is over.

This is something that I think I'm going to stick with. I'm not sure I'm going to dive into a monthly membership just yet, but I think I'll go here and there when I have the time. It was fun and definitely not your every day thing.

Now What?!

2009-11-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm *kinda officially* a CPA! I got my last score online on Friday night (Yikes, Friday the 13th!) and I PASSED! I'm still in a little bit of shock, but I'm so excited about it! It's been a long, crazy journey and I'm so glad it's over.

15 months of studying

12 months of testing

6 actual exams (for a 4 section test)

It won't be official official until I get sworn in by the state, and that won't be until May, but this is close enough for me. :)

But with this, I'm kind of left with a feeling of "what now?" My race is over...my exam is over. Those are the two things that took up the majority of my time. I've been kind of bumming around the house with no direction for the past week or so.

I'm feeling a lot better now, so I'm going to start running again on Tuesday with the Fleet Feet group. I'm also going to give Bikram Yoga a try sometime this week to see how I like it (report to come, I'm sure...I don't like the heat very much, but I've been intrigued by this for years). And I'm going to take the big plunge...I'm going to go see the graduate advisor tomorrow to see what I need to do to finish up that half a Masters of Accountancy that I have. I hate the idea of studying and tests all over again, but even more than that, I hate paying student loans on something that's not finished. Hopefully there's not much left for that.

1 City, 5 Boroughs, 26.2 Miles - NYC Marathon Race Report 11/1/09

2009-11-04T17:19:00.000-08:00

I am in love with New York City. Not the kind of love that you want to wake up next to every morning for the rest of your life, but small doses here and there is just fabulous. My friend moved to the city a couple of years ago and this was my second trip out there - although this trip was completely different from the last, I feel like I was able to get much more intimate with the city and learn a lot more about it in the short time I was there.

To get to the start (which is on Staten Island), I was assigned to the 8.00 ferry from Manhattan. The hubs, my dad and I left the hotel around 7.15 on Sunday morning to walk over there,

ensuring I'd make it to the ferry early and hopefully onto an earlier boat. Although I was expecting 44,000 runners - the largest crowd ever for this race - I was surprised by the sheer mass of people waiting for the ferry. There were thousands of people waiting, and this didn't include the thousands that had left earlier or who had gone over on busses or from New Jersey. Luckily, because we'd arrived early, I was able to say good bye to my spectators and get on a ferry around 7.45. (Please note my rockin' sweats and very excited and awake expression. I just love being anywhere surrounded by tens of thousands of people at the crack of dawn.) I noticed on Saturday that a cough I've been dealing with for about a month (allergy-related) had gotten worse, and now I had a sore throat to go with it. During our walk to the ferry on Sunday, it seemed to be even worse, but that just wasn't the time to worry about it! I decided to ignore it for the day since it wasn't terrible and make a doctor's appointment for when we got back home to see about getting an inhaler or allergy pills or something. Considering this happens every year, I was tired of dealing with it.

Everything started moving really fast once I got on the ferry. We were shuttled to Fort Wadsworth, I checked my bag at the UPS truck in my start village and the next thing I knew the cannon was firing (seriously, how cool is that? They start the race with a cannon and not a wimpy little gun) and a crowd of people were running across the Verrazano Bridge above me (it's really hard to see, but there are tons and tons of people running on that bridge).

The wave starts were great, and honestly, with 44,000+ people running, I don't see any other way to do it. <---- That is all that I could see as I was walking to the starting line. A sea of people and porta-potties. As soon as we turned the corner, though and saw the actual "start" line, the crowds lightened up and it was easier to move.

The course starts with a ~250 ft climb up the Verrazano Bridge, the steepest climb on the course, and I was glad it was in the first mile. It wasn't a hard hill by any means, considering the excitement of the race and the fact that I did all my long runs (15-20 miles) on hilly courses, but it was enough of a reminder that you've got a long way to go and not to kill yourself just yet. It was after getting to the top of this hill, and somewhere about halfway on the way down, that the entire right side of my body decided to revolt. About 2 1/2 miles into the race. It started with the plantar fasciitis in my foot, which had been flaring up for about a week, but had never bothered me during a run before and eventually travelled up into my right hip (also not weird, but it usually waits till after I'm done) and my lower back. I knew I'd be seeing the hubs and my dad at Mile 8 and again at 16, so I'd just ask them for some Tylenol then.

The crowds were indescribable. It was nothing like anything I'd

ever experienced before. I think I had a perma-grin on my face through Mile 18 just because the crowds were so amazing. The noise they made got to be too much at times. It blew my mind that people got up and out of their houses on a Sunday morning just to watch a bunch of crazies run by them. Bands were set up throughout the course and at one street corner you'd hear hard rock, and at the next you'd hear someone playing a cover of a Beatles song, while at the next, it'd be a Reggae band.

I eventually got to the Queensboro Bridge, linking Queens to Manhattan, at Miles 15-16 which I'd been warned was terrible. It's not quite the same incline as the first bridge, but it's a long, steady hill on a bridge inaccessible to spectators, so you're all alone. I've heard people describe it as the place where they've really questioned themselves and their ability to finish and I knew that I couldn't allow myself to get to that point that early in the race. By this point, my legs were feeling the work I was putting them through, but again, the incline wasn't too bad. It was easy to ignore everything going on around me and focus on all the training I'd done leading up to this - most of which was worse than what I was going through at that moment. Coming off the bridge, which is pretty quiet without the spectators, you burst onto the street in Manhattan and into the screaming crowds. It was amazing.

The rest of the race was really good. I missed the hubs and our dads (by this time, my father in law had joined up with them) at Mile 16 by mere minutes and expected them at 20, hopefully with my Tylenol for my foot/hip pain. 20 comes and goes and they're not there...I wasn't worried about any of this because I knew they were using the subways and were on their own, so I expected us to disconnect at some point. Finally, at Mile 22, I see the hubs and our dads in Harlem.

The end of the race is kind of a blur. I didn't really start falling apart until the last 4 miles or so, and even at that, I hesitate to call it "falling apart." It was harder once we got into Central Park, it seemed like it was hill after hill after hill, and even though I know they weren't steep, they were just at a very unwelcome time. When I got to Mile 25.5, I pulled off my headphones (I'd resorted to them around 22) and forced myself to run the last .7 miles to the finish line. People around me were screaming, crying, stopping to take pictures. It was the happiest group of people I'd ever seen. With Abba's "Dancing Queen" blaring from the speakers (my friends from many years ago will understand the significance), I finally stepped across the finish line.

After getting my medal, heat blanket and posing for a quick picture, I began the looong walk to claim my bag and exit the park. In all, after getting my bag and then going to meet the hubs and our dads, it was about an extra mile tacked on. Ouch. All I wanted to do was lie down! But it was all worth it when I was met by the hubs and a little blue Tiffany's box holding the necklace I had been unsuccessful in buying the day before at the expo. :) Between the walk to meet everyone and forcing myself to walk all over the city the rest of that night and the next morning, I can honestly say that I haven't been very sore. For Denver last year, I was severely sore for about a week.

To sum it up, this was an amazing race. I'd hoped to not repeat races so I can experience as many as possible, but I think this one may have to be a repeat. I know that I'm leaving out so much for the sake of not going on for hours and hours, and I'm a little out of it so I may come back to edit later. Which leads to this...that cough and sore throat? It turned out to be the beginnings of H1N1. Yep. Hooray. I've been camped out on my couch ever since we got home Monday night (it hit while we were traveling home). The hip thing comes and goes. I'm going to keep an eye on it because it's been around for a while now but it generally goes away on its own. I think my foot is going to require a follow up with the podiatrist. It feels good now, but it didn't feel good for a while.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased. It's not a PR but I'm not out there to win anything...this is all for fun and time doesn't matter as much to me as it does to other people. Yeah, I had a secret time goal that I didn't meet (no, I won't tell you what it was), and who knows...maybe if all these random pains/flu things weren't happening, maybe I'd have met it. But what makes me really proud is that 1) I ran way more than I did in Denver last year. I stuck with my 5 min run/1 min walk intervals until Mile 17.5, where I switched to 4 min/1 min and stuck with that pretty closely until the end. 2) My pace was really consistent. I don't set my watch up to show me my pace so I don't obsess about it, so I have no clue how I'm doing while I'm running. All I can see is elapsed time and distance, but I don't take the time to figure out my pace.

So, what's next? I'm not sure about Phoenix RnR. I just don't know if I have it in me for another marathon in 2 months (I think...ask me when I can get up off the couch without losing my breath). I have some friends going out to Long Beach to do that half in February, but it's not a good weekend for us. I'm trying to convince the hubs that Chicago would be a lovely trip for his birthday - which just happens to be in October. ;)

Rome was not buit in a day

2009-11-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

nor was it built by someone with H1N1. Race report coming this week sometime...lets suffice it say that I survived. Not sure if I'll survive the swine flu though. I feel terrible...off to sleep some more.

A Response to the NYT Article - by Mary Wittenberg

2009-10-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

The following is written by Mary Wittenberg, the President and CEO of the NY Road Runners. You can see her Wiki page here. I do believe that Ms. Wittenberg is my new hero.

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I love that the New York Times covers running as much as it does. I also love that we can count on the Times to “be at the center of the debate.”

Let me share New York Road Runners’ side of the debate as to whether "plodders" have a place in the marathon. Our answer begins with this: Both the term “plodders” and the question posed miss the essence of the beauty and power of the marathon.

We at NYRR stress the strenuous, demanding nature of the marathon. We don’t say that it’s for everyone. We conduct over 50 events a year from the mile to the marathon, and clinics and classes that ensure we “have a place for every pace.” We promote the marathon as the Mt. Everest of running. In other words, the ultimate goal. One that takes careful and rigorous preparation. But we specifically don’t say – “you’ve got to be fast to do it.”

To us, it’s about conquering the distance and conquering self doubt. The marathon is about dreaming to achieve and putting in all the work to make that dream reality. That quest, and the runner's ultimate success, routinely changes people’s lives in rich and meaningful ways. Our runners, no matter the pace, typically overcome all kinds of hurdles and challenges to reaching the marathon finish line. It is that ability to persevere that translates to other parts of their lives. Making them stronger and better for the pursuit – well beyond improved physical fitness.
We don’t encourage people to walk the marathon or to take 8 hours to complete it. It is a running event after all. But, it is 26.2 miles – a huge challenge – no matter how fast you are. Ask most marathoners – we’ve all been humbled by the distance at some point. It tends to make us appreciate the efforts of others. Most faster runners I know have a great deal of respect for slower runners (it is tough to be out there longer) and vice versa (it’s “incredible” how fast “they” run).

The marathon is not easy. I am a pretty serious runner. Though occasionally tempted, I haven’t run a marathon in 15 years. I know what it takes, and I know what it takes out of you. There is no debate about how hard it is. So it’s okay – you need to walk a little? Then walk a little. Do what it takes to accomplish the goal of finishing, and be smart about it too. In NYC, our roads reopen at a rolling 6½ hour marathon. We score at the finish until 8 hours, because sometimes folks have a really tough day. They don’t plan on 8 hours, but it happens. And, we are pleased to host the largest contingent of disabled athletes of any major marathon, and the extra time helps them too. We are fortunate – with our final miles largely inside Central Park rather than on the streets - that we can offer this possibility.

On Sunday, November 1, we’ll host 40,000 runners from around the world. We’ll celebrate our superhuman champions who cross the finish line first, stand in awe of all of those that break the coveted 3 hour mark, high five those who qualify for Boston and cheer those that crack the formidable 4 hour barrier. Then you can bet we’ll welcome - with open arms and a hard earned medal - each of our finishers who, despite the challenges, cross our rarified finish line.

A marathoner is a marathoner regardless of time. Virtually everyone who tries the marathon has put in training over months, and it is that exercise and that commitment, physical and mental, that gives meaning to the medal, not just the day’s effort, be it fast or slow. It’s all in conquering the challenge. Ask any marathoner you meet in NYC on Monday, November 2.

- Mary R. Wittenberg

Judgmental much?

2009-10-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

I just found out that I've never run a marathon. And, there's a very, very good chance (unless the stars align just right and the angles sing and I'm granted with some kind of never-before-heard-of miracle) that I will not run NYC next week either. Apparently, according to this article in the NY Times, and according to a couple of lovely ladies quoted therein, unless you run faster than a 6 hour race, it's like you never did it. AND, to top it off, not only have you not run the race, you have ruined it for everyone else who "deserves" to be there (aka: Speedy McSpeederson).

Funny. I feel like I've trained for the last several months. And I vaguely remember participating in some large, long distance event in Denver last year (silly me, I thought it was a Marathon, but I guess I was wrong). I guess I'll just be heading out to New York next week to run around the city (but not literally, since I don't do that) and take in the sights. I'm so glad these women set me straight before I embarrassed myself!

But now seriously - I'm out there for hours, upon hours at a time. Do you think I wouldn't like to be faster? Trust me, I'd love to get out there, bust out 26 miles and get home in time to catch the morning news. The fact of the matter is, it's just not gonna happen, at least not this time. I've trained hard, trying to keep a balance between running, exam studying, working and trying to remind the hubs that he's still married. I don't think I've worked any less - or any more - than most people. Yes, there are some that put in 100 mile weeks...and there are some that put in 10 mile weeks, but I really think that for the most part, I'm right there in the "average" section with most of them.

The thing is, being out there for 6+ hours is a long time. It's that much more time to allow negative thoughts into your head, more time to question your sanity, to wonder if you're capable, if you've done the right thing, if you should keep going, for injury to set in or flare up. I'm not saying that being slow makes me (or anyone) better than someone who's fast, but being out on a course for that much time really messes with your head and your body in ways that being out there for 3 hours can't.

I usually hate it when people tell me that I'm their inspiration or a superhero or things like that. I don't deserve any of that. I'm just a girl who decided to try something one day - the same as anyone else can be. We ALL have the ability to do things like this - and even more than this. But when there are people out there saying "No, you don't deserve the opportunity to be out there because you don't meet my standards," it really bothers me. It takes away some of our ability and it hinders some people who already have doubts. I think we need to remember that there will always be the people you can't please, and as long as you're making yourself happy - and doing things for YOU - you'll keep on rocking on. And that's what running is about anyway.

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I need to give credit to The Athena Diaries, which is where I found this article. The Athena Diaries is written by a tough, amazing triathlete, marathoner, ultramarathoner that I've met once before at a race. She probably doesn't remember me, but her blog has helped me through my training many, many times.

How Slow Can You Go?

2009-10-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

I found this RunnersWorld.com today and I thought it was perfect. There have been so many times I've had this question myself. Most times I manage to keep the mindset that as long as I'm not walking (or crawling - there are times I want to do that!), I'm running, no matter how slow...but other times, it's hard to NOT get down on myself for my speed - or lack thereof.

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October 07, 2009

When Is a Runner a Runner?

Dear John, I'd like your honest opinion about something, not the "politically correct" answer. How slowly do you think it is possible to actually "run" by the accepted definition of running? Although I know there are extreme possibilities, I am talking about the most likely scenario for an average person. To be more specific, do you think it is possible that a person can "run" a 20-minute mile? If so, have you ever actually witnessed someone running that slowly with both feet coming off the ground?

I hear the politically correct answer all the time: that anyone who says they are running is really running, even when it's obvious that they aren't. However, with all due respect to the folks who make that claim, I just don't think it is true anymore than a 6-year-old who jumps off a table and says he's "flying" is really flying. Honestly, John, what do you think? - Mary

Hi, Mary. Thanks for giving me a chance to address this issue. It comes up all the time and, to be honest as you request, the answer also changes all the time.

First, a little history. If you go back to the late 1970s or early '80s, most of the training books talked about running as a 7-minute-per-mile pace or better. Anything slower was considered jogging. So, joggers were all of those who didn’t run at a 7-minute pace. Runners knew who they were by their pace.

Somewhere, as the first signs of the second running boom began to appear, running came to be defined as anything faster than a 9-minute pace. Again, joggers were defined as those who went slower than that. And, again, runners defined themselves by their pace and finish times.
About 10 years ago, however, runners stopped being defined by their times and were instead defined by their activity. So, runners ran. Walkers walked. Cyclists cycled. Triathletes triathaleted. You get the idea.

These days, I don’t think anyone can define anyone else by any objective criteria.
One of my favorite stories is of being in the late stages of a marathon and a volunteer asking me if I wanted an orange slice. I said “no,” that I had to stay focused on running. He said “That’s OK, I’ll just walk along with you.” In my mind I was running, and running hard. The truth was that I was moving at an easy walking pace.

So, who runs? At what pace? I don’t think anyone can say. What’s running for me today may not be running tomorrow. What’s running for someone at 25 years old will be very different when they’re 45.

Why worry? Only you can decide for you. And you can’t decide for anyone else.

Waddle on,

John

John “the Penguin” Bingham, Runner’s World columnist

Hills

2009-10-04T12:57:00.001-07:00

This is the elevation chart from my 18 mile run, which I did on Friday. I'm still sore. The hubs and I had a friend who would tell us "You live in Albuquerque. You can't escape the hills," every time we would complain about riding our bikes uphill. I loved to point out to him that the Bosque trail is flaaaat and in Albuquerque, but still - I got his point. NYC is 4 weeks from today and considerably flatter than this was. There are really only a couple of hills (the nastiest is at Mile 15 and is really only nasty because it's on a bridge with no spectators). You can see the elevation chart here. Oh, and this 18 miler was done at a minimum elevation of 5,911 feet....NYC? 0 feet. :)

Getting there

2009-09-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Slowly, but surely, the weeks are ticking away and I'm getting closer and closer to the end of October, which is going to end in a very exciting 8 days for me. On October 23 I'll be taking what will hopefully be my last section of the CPA exam. I got my results for the third section last week while I was in Dallas for work that I'd passed (very unexpectedly) so now I'm on to the last leg of this long journey.

Then I'll be leaving on October 30 for NYC. I can't believe that the one month mark will hit this week! Like I mentioned before, I only have two long runs left - 18 this week and 20 next week. I know they're going to be long and hard, but I'm really exited for them. I've moved my 18 to Friday so we can celebrate the hubs's birthday on Saturday, so keep me in your thoughts while you're at work Friday morning. I almost wish I'll be sitting at my desk, visiting with friends and getting through the giant stack of paperwork I have instead of dodging rush hour traffic...but I think I'll survive. The thought of taking a nice, long nap that afternoon will get me through. :)

I Did This?!

2009-09-20T20:29:00.001-07:00

After last week's shin issue I took this week super, super easy. I figured I'd rather have a completely craptastic, slow, miserable 15 mile run than a non-existant 15 mile run because I was still in pain. It turns out that I actually did the right thing (for once). And the run was actually not completely terrible - for the most part. It was slow, just the way I wanted it. I really took my time and I focused on my breathing and form, stopped to stretch when I needed it. It was good. I ran along the Sandia mountains, 4 miles north and then back to my car (total of 8) and stopped to fill up my bottles again, call a friend and the hubs to let them know I was alive still, and then headed out south, this time doing 3.5 miles and then heading back to my car. I'd never gone south this far before (I think I'd gone about a mile south, but no further)....so imagine my shock when the trail starts doing this steeeeeeeeep downhill drop, along with some random uphills (just to keep things interesting). Yeah, I wasn't happy. And because I got a late start - thanks to the fact that I decided I didn't feel like eating dinner the night before and wasn't feeling so hot in the morning, lesson learned - it was HOT now. My water was quickly diminishing.

I turned around when I hit 3.5 miles and texted my friend to let her know (she was the back up support crew) and attempted to head back. Attempted. Remember that steeeeeeeeeeep downhill? Now that was a steeeeeeeeep uphill. Which doesn't look like much when you look at this (click the "Elevation" tab and please ignore the pace, time, etc. :-P ) : Garmin Connect -Activity Details forUntitled

I ended up running out of water about 2.5 miles from my car, and while I would have been fine, my awesome friend, F, ran out to meet me with two giant bottles of cold water. All in all, it was an awesome run, and I'm really proud of myself for doing it. I only have 2 long runs left - an 18 on Oct 2 (I'm moving it to a Friday because the hubs's birthday is the 3rd) and a 20 on Oct 10. After that it's all about the taper! And as much as I love the long distance, it's nights like this when I'm sore and tired (and still feeling like I could eat my arm) that makes me question my sanity. I'm not 100% sold on Phoenix anymore, but I'm sure I'll keep changing my mind back and forth over the next several weeks. When all is said and done, I really do love it - trust me, I'm too lazy to do something like this if I didn't. I'm just not sure my body is capable of two marathons 11 weeks apart.

Oh! And some exciting news! My dad is able to come out to NYC with me and the hubs! He works overseas and had to miss Denver last year. In fact, the NM Half Marathon was the first event he's been able to make since my high school cheerleading days. It'll be a quicker trip than my NYC trip will be - he's stopping over for 2 nights on his way back to England, but I'm really, really excited! Hooray!

AND I just realized that yesterday was my two year running anniversary. What a way to celebrate. :)

This happens to everyone, right? Right??!

2009-09-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

I did something unspeakable yesterday. I bailed on my long run. It's not like I've been doing this for years and years or anything, but I've never had to do this before. NEVER.

I had 14 miles on the schedule...no big deal, I've done 14 before...and considering I did 13 last week (which was supposed to be 12), I wasn't worried at all. I went in a lot more prepared for this than I ever had been before. The hubs and I managed to get to bed much earlier than usual, I really paid attention to my hydration and the type of food I was eating all week...I got all my Gatorade and water and everything ready Friday after work since I was going to be on my own. I really felt good about it. Even though I took it super easy in last week's half, I was really sore afterwards in my quads and ITBs, which I blamed on the downhill. I'd done a lot of stretching, self-massage with The Stick and icing and I'd been feeling a lot better by the time Wednesday came. I'd felt a little discomfort in my shins on my 5 mile run on Thursday and when I do my stretches for my Plantar Fasciitis in the mornings, but I just chalked that up to soreness too....well, come Saturday that was a different story. I did my PF stretches (which are a nightmare to do while you're laying in bed...I usually accidentally fall back asleep while doing them) and I felt the sharp pain in my shins. I figured it wasn't going to be a fun morning.

I got up to Tramway and tried to get started...painful, but I assumed I just needed to get warmed up and would be feeling great by the time I got to my first turn around point. Because I was on my own for this one, I was going north 3.5 miles and then running back to my car to re-fuel, then going south 3.5 miles for a total of 14 miles. By 2.5 miles in I knew that it just wasn't going to happen and I texted my friend to let her know what was going on. I managed to (slowly) make it to the turn around and then to get back to my car for a total of 7 miles and after doing some stretches I packed up and headed up to my friend's running shop for some advice.

It's a bummer. I know I'm not completely out of NYC and unless something really crazy happens, I'm still going to make it. We were able to re-work my training schedule and I'm actually still pretty much on track. Instead of 16 next week, I'm doing 15, taking my regular cut back week the following week, and then I'm back on track. Lets just hope that this is the only little bump in the road and the rest of it is easy (well, as easy as marathon training can be).

Oh, and in case you didn't see, I added a few race pics in the last post. :)

Race Report - New Mexico Half Marathon 9/6/09

2009-09-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Pictures have been added as of 9/13/09...see the bottom of this post. Yes, I'm too lazy to try and disburse them throughout.

This started as an early morning after a loooong night. The hubs and I decided to do this race together (as in we would be starting at the same place at the same time and finishing at the same place about an hour apart). The half-marathon starts at 6.30 AM, 13.1 miles from the finish line, requiring that we park at the finish and take buses to the start. No problem, except that it STARTS at 6.30 AM and the LAST bus leaves at 6.05. Since I’m slightly neurotic, I can’t handle the thought of being on the last bus (even though I’m habitually late to everything) so we planned to be there at 5.30. In the morning. Which meant leaving the house at 5.00. In the morning. And waking up at 4.00. In the morning. All of this would have been okay (in another life) if we’d gone to bed and fallen asleep at 8.00 the night before as planned…alas, this did not happen. Somewhere around 11.00 the hubs gave up and asked me if I wanted to give up and go watch an episode of Friends on DVD that we’d just received from Netflix. Needless to say, we spent a portion of our night with Monica, Chandler, Ross, et al, instead of sleeping and the 4.00 alarm came too soon.

Once we parked (at Hotel Albuquerque) and were bussed to the start at Tram

way and I-25, just west of Sandia Casino we had just a few minutes to mill around, talk to friends and do some last minute prep for the race. The start of the race was directly under the I-25 bridge and the first 3 miles descends into a sharp downhill. This sounds great in theory, but luckily I’d been forewarned and managed to keep a slow, gradual pace. At this point I felt a little bit of rubbing on my left foot – like a blister was threatening to come in. I decided to ignore it for the time being, figuring it would just be a little red. At around Mile 6 we turned onto the Bosque Bike Trail, where we spent the next three miles. In reading the reviews of this race (primarily for the full marathon), many people had complaints about running on the trail – primarily because it’s “boring” and because the cyclists are “rude.” Maybe it’s because I run on this trail at least once a week (usually much more often than that) but I normally don’t find it boring. It did get a little monotonous, but again I think it’s because I know each and every tree and crack in the trail. As for rude cyclists, this comes down to rude runners. The trail cannot be closed just because there is a race…therefore, we need to abide by the rules of the trail and either run on the dirt part of the trail or keep to the right. I lost count of the number of runners attempting to run smack in the middle of the paved trail and ignoring the cyclist

s who had right of way. But, that’s a post for another day. From the Bosque Trail we headed down Rio Grande to the finish on Mountain in Old Town Plaza.

I’d gone into this race with 10 miles being my longest run, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect for the last 3. I only had 12 miles on the schedule for this past weekend, so I figured I’d take it really easy, forget about time and do this just for fun. The hubs wanted to do this one, my really good friend was doing this as her first full and I figured I had nothing to lose, so why not sign up. It was like my body knew I only had 12 on the schedule. I kept up with the 5 min/1 min run/walk intervals until 12 miles and then I pretty much shut down. It got really hard…I’m not sure if it was a mental thing or if I hadn’t taken in enough fuel, or what. I’m sure it didn’t help that every time I took a sip of Gatorade my stomach flipped (so I know I didn’t drink enough) or the fact that that little rubbing on my foot at Mile 3 and turned into some major pain by Mile 5. I still managed to run more than I walked for that last mile, but I stopped paying attention to my watch. When I finished, the Garmin said somewhere around 3:10 and a few seconds but the official results say something around 3:15 (thank you, bathroom stop). I’m happy with it.

The course was well marked and incredibly well organized. I had no issues getting water from any of the aid stations, although for once in my life, I was in the middle of the Marathon pack. There were spectators throughout the course and they were always excited and happy to cheer you on. The medals are very unique – handcrafted New Mexican pottery (pics coming) and everyone received one, regardless of which race you participated in (5k, HM or

Marathon). This race is a repeat – probably the full next year. Yeah, ignore that post from a few weeks ago that says something about how I’m not doing a full marathon next year.

Oh, and the major foot pain that started out as a little bit ofrubbing? It turned into a blister the size of a quarter. It was even big enough to earn its own name. :)

Pics above (in order): The hubs, just after finishing, Me finishing, both of us enjoying delicious cookies.

I think I deserve a psychology degree

2009-09-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

While on my 2 mile run last night my right shin started hurting. Because I have a race on Sunday, I decided that this is something that should not be ignored, so I stopped to stretch it...due to my overzealous stretching, I felt something pull in my calf muscle. OUCH. I then attempted to limp over to a bench to stretch further (and safer) when I felt something pop in my left (read: other) knee and was overcome with intense pain. At this point I had to stop and wonder if the pain was really happening or if it was all happening in my head because:

1) I was tired (as in sleepy tired, not exhausted due to running tired),
2) had my new laptop at home that I really wanted to go play with instead of being out on a deserted trail (more on this later because I'm THAT excited about it),
3) was out on a deserted trail and honestly thought I may be attacked (seriously, I didn't even have my iPod on...not sure why, it just seemed like a good day to be attacked), and
4) it really looked like the sky was about to split open and pour every drop of rain it's ever saved for the last 100 years at that very moment.

Whatever the reason, I really was in a lot of pain and wound up waddling down the last 1/2 mile of trail towards my car cursing myself for not running enough this week. I have this half marathon on Sunday and even though I can justify it as "tapering," I'm not really supposed to be racing...it's just a training run so I'm supposed to do everything as normally as possible. And, just as I suspected, as soon as I got near my car, all the pain went away...and I forced out another mile to punish myself for slacking.

Anyway, new laptop. The hubs totally rocks and builds our desktops computers because he's a computer geek like that. It's cool because when things break he can usually have them fixed within a matter of minutes. I haven't had to take a computer in for repairs in years...I haven't BOUGHT a computer in years. Last week while I was studying the day before my exam (results in about 2 weeks) the computer pretty much died and the hubs said "no more saving this one." After a few pleading looks he broke down and agreed to purchase me a Macbook. Yes, I feel a little bit like a traitor, but he's taking my dead PC and turning it into a server. Don't ask me why we need our very own server, but apparently all the cool kids have one. :)

I'll give you all a race report Sunday evening/Monday morning sometime. Wish me luck!

Wow! That IS Slow!

2009-08-24T14:31:00.001-07:00

My work gave us the option of getting health risk assessments done a few weeks ago. Basically, they took our blood to test our cholesterol, tested our blood pressure and body fat percentage, calculated our BMI and had us fill out pages and pages of questions on our lifestyles. When all is said and done, a health coach is supposed to contact us to talk about our results and – if we want – to guide us through our journey to better health.

I participated in this despite the fact that I knew what the coach would say (“You’re too fat!”)…first of all, I was intrigued. I’d never had my cholesterol tested before and wanted to know more about that. But secondly, this qualifies for my “safety” goal at work, so I figured I’d knock it out. I got my results in the mail last week and everything tested out normal, except – surprise – I’m too fat!

My weight is a touchy subject, and not the point of this post at all. It’s taken me years to get to a place where I’m okay with how I look…and a lot of times, I’m still not okay with it. Regardless, I brushed the “too fat” comment off (and for what it’s worth, no one actually said the words “too” or “fat” to me) and agreed to be coached. I got the phone call from the health coach about 30 minutes ago while I was sitting at my desk at work. When the woman on the phone identified herself and said she was calling because I’d expressed an interest in being coached, I immediately knew what I was “supposed” to say. And the second she asked the magic question, “What is your goal?” I had my answer – the “right” answer – all ready for her.

“Well, I’d like to lose weight.”

“Really?” She replied. And silence.

Now what? She didn’t start in with the spiel on how it was a great goal because I’m too fat. So I did what I do best when I get nervous. I started blabbering on and on with no direction. Somewhere in there I mentioned training for a marathon and maybe losing weight isn’t really the main goal I had in mind.

“Wait. What race are you training for?”

“New York. But this will be my second marathon.”

After she expressed her excitement with that (and there was some squealing…and yes, it may have been me squealing) and told me how she’d run four in the past, we got down to business. When she asked me how I fuel during my long runs I admitted that I’m only using gels right now but planned on adding in some pretzels due to the fact that I can’t stomach the sugary gels after hours and hours of taking them in…I’m just that slow. We continue our conversation and she eventually asks me how fast I’m running right now, considering I’d mentioned that I’m slow.

“I averaged just over a 14 minute mile on Saturday.”

“Wow. That IS slow.”

Cue the sound of my heart breaking, my hopes and dreams being crushed, the wind being sucked out of my sails. I know this. It’s not breaking news. I’d just finished talking to my co-workers about my slowness…but none of them had said those words to me. NO ONE has ever said these words to me. She continued with “What kind of speedwork are you doing?”

“None,” I said. “My coaches suggested I lay off of it since I’ve been injured since Christmas.”

And the subject is changed.

My goal is to finish. My goal has always been to finish. If I do it in 14 minute miles, that’s awesome….but I’m not going to kill myself trying to do it in 8 minute miles. I’m not going to take something that I like and enjoy doing and turn it into something that I dread. Yes, it’s work. It’s hard. It sucks knowing that I’m going to be out there for 6 hours working my ass off. But I enjoy those 6 hours. I like knowing that I went out and I did the best I could today and that I’ll do the best I can tomorrow. Maybe I’m not doing this coach’s best, or the hubs’s best, or my co-worker’s best….but I’m doing MY best.

I still think this woman is nice and she seems to know what she’s talking about. I’m supposed to send her my workout and food log for the past few days so we’ll see where that goes. And I’ll get faster…but I’ll get faster because I do…not because I’m not meeting someone else’s expectations of where I should be.

100 Degrees...

2009-08-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

...is what the giant, digital thermometer read as I drove by to my weekly run around the Academy - the one I've been neglecting for a few months now because of the heat. It took everything inside of me to keep from turning around and going home for a couple of hours at that moment, but I made it (okay, and I almost drove off again once I got there but my friend saw me pull up). Trust me, I completely understand the importance of weekday runs...but in the summer? This really makes me re-think a fall marathon ever again. Anyway, I started out committing to 30 minutes, but at the 15 minute turn around I was already over a mile in (yes, remember how slow I am) so I decided to go the extra < 1/2 mile and get my 3 miles in that way. I also managed to avoid running up Harper. :)

I think I've made the decision to NOT run a marathon next year (okay, except RnR AZ, but that's in January, which is still almost this year and that doesn't count). I really want to devote some time to my bike and I have my sight set on some bigger things that I need to start working towards. I really want to do an Ironman in the next few years and I know I need to spend a lot of time on my bike to get there. The tentative plan right now is to do RnR AZ, 1-2 century rides, 2-4 half marathons and all the local triathlons. The most important part of this plan is to eliminate studying for the CPA exam...so if everything goes the way I'm hoping it will, that will be done and out of my life by the end of October. Now to chain myself to the study materials for the next 2 1/2 months. :(

Race Report: Chile Harvest Triathlon - 8/01/09

2009-08-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

Where to start on this one? I was really looking forward to this...I actually registered for it within a couple of days of finishing Jay Benson (my first) and I had all these grand plans for training and making this my big, priority race of the year and focus on just running a half marathon locally this fall. However, about two weeks after registering, a wrench got thrown in my plans. I got accepted into the New York City Marathon. Although I was really, really hoping to be accepted, I knew that the chances were slim and with my job it'd be really hard to go for even a long weekend. Well, not only was I accepted, I received an amazing job offer a few weeks prior...so nothing was holding me back from actually going (ignoring random, repeated injuries, but lets not dwell on that). Thus, marathon training began immediately and this triathlon was just a tiny blip on the screen and no longer that important to me. All that said, I actually did do more training for this race than I did for Jay Benson...which is why the actual results of this race are so, so devastating.

The race was very well organized. I've read a few reviews on it today and everyone seems to rave about how friendly the volunteers were...I must have found the 2 grumpy ones. But at 6AM I can't even pretend to happy to be anywhere, so I'm just going to give them a pass on their nasty attitudes. Packet pick up was easy and I noticed they explained things very well to the hubs, who was doing his first tri (and finished in a disgusting 1:26). The transition area was set up by race number, which also corresponded to how you start the race (this one was traditional: swim, bike, run). Let me tell you, it was weird to be up near the front with all the "good" racers. As a back-of-the-packer I felt very out of place, but everyone was really nice.

The swim is 8 lengths in Socorro's outdoor 50m pool. I've raced in this pool countless times growing up, so it was familiar and I liked it. I felt like the swim went well and I was able to run into transition (something I was too wiped out for last time). I thought T1 went really well and I didn't have any issues getting socks on my wet feet - I know a lot of people don't use socks, but that not only hurts, it skeeves me out. I was able to run through transition with my bike and was off. Or I tried anyway. My legs just absolutely refused to move. This bike course is hilly - not steep, mountain-like hills - but long, never ending, gradual hills that make you want to cry. On a steeper one, there were a couple of dead rabbits in the road - I took this as a warning that I would be laying next to them shortly.

T2 seemed to go well too. I was able to run again through transition and all I put on were my shoes and hat...everything else I put on as I was running. Or something that may or may not have resembled running. Stupidly, I never got around to practicing this particular brick and now I understand why I should have. I gave my all on the bike and I knew right away that the run was going to be the end of me. My friend was watching and told me to just keep running and the feeling would come soon. Um, sure. Maybe 1/2 a mile from the finish. This 5k reminded me 100% of the last 5k of a marathon - miserable.

Even through all of this, I felt really good about the race. I couldn't get my computer going on my bike so I had no clue how fast (or slow) I'd done it but I knew that I was about 3:40 minutes slower on my run than I'd wanted. Even knowing what I knew, I was shocked when I saw the results - about 8 minutes slower than Jay Benson. I'm sure it was the hills on the bike that got me. Sure, I've been riding to work when I can, but that's a flat ride. I'm going to have to try and make the time (HAHAHA!) to ride hills after work or something. Anyway, it was a great race and I'll be back next year - even though I announced (loudly) that these things suck and I will never, ever do another one. Next up - NM Half Marathon on 9/6/09.

Splits:
Overall - 1:53:33.3
Swim (400 meters) - 8:11
T1 - 2:57
Bike (12.39 miles) - 57:14
T2 - 1:22
Run (3.1 miles) - 43:51
7th Athena

Seven

2009-07-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today I ran 7 miles. I know it's not a ton, and I know I'll be running even further than that very soon, but it was pretty exciting. This is the furthest I've gone since I ran Denver in October of last year. My last scheduled 7 mile run was supposed to be the day after Christmas, but it turned into a 3 mile walk because of the knee pain that turned into a hamstring injury and resulted in about 4 months off. I think that this was something I've really needed to do though - just for the mental aspect. Every once in a while I'll get a sudden burst of excitement for NYC but it's quickly overshadowed by doubt since I'm *only* at 4, 5 or 6 miles. A part of me still feels behind in the training, but I know I need to get over that. I have a good plan, put together by a good (and very knowledgeable) friend and it'll get me there.

7 miles today...98 days till 26.2!

And the Verdict Is...

2009-07-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

I have Plantar Fasciitis. I finally made it down to see a podiatrist this morning and I’m glad I finally have an answer. I’ve been doing a lot of icing lately and really focusing on stretching before and after I run, which has helped a lot. The doctor is contacting my insurance company to see if they’ll cover custom orthotics, which I’ve assumed I needed for some time now. Even if it’s not covered, I’ll be getting them – I figure they’ll last a really long time and it’s worth it to not be in pain.

For now though, they taped up my foot and that alone has made the pain vanish. I can’t get it wet, so that canceled my plans for a swim tomorrow, but hopefully I can get into the pool on Sunday when the tape comes off. I was instructed to continue running…the tape will work the way orthotics will and I have a pretty good handle on how to treat it on my own for the time being. We’ll see how the tape holds up for 7 miles tomorrow morning – the longest I’ve gone since Denver in October.

Pushing Through

2009-07-20T10:12:00.001-07:00

The heat here has been completely, totally insane. I heard on the radio this morning that temps reached 100 yesterday, and it’s been in the upper 90’s for a couple of weeks now. Needless to say, I’m hating this. I can’t get myself out when it’s that hot. I tell myself that I’ll get up in the morning and run before work, but then I stay up too late studying and have a hard time dragging my behind out of bed at 7.00 for work. On those days I say that I’ll run in the evening, once it cools down…but it’s still over 85 at 8.00 PM and I have to study…starting the cycle all over again. I somehow still manage to get it done, usually in the evenings, but it’s not even enjoyable and I’m hating life the entire time.

I only rode to work once over the past two weeks too. After forgetting my water bottle at home and just assuming I could make it on the small bottle I had at my office, I learned the importance of proper hydration in the heat. There were a couple of times I got dizzy and almost crashed into the guardrail separating the trail I was on from a very busy street. I’m teaching myself to let go of my handlebars to grab my bottle now though and I feel a lot more confident that I’ll be able to ride without dying from lack of water anymore (yes, letting go of the handlebars is a new trick for me, I realize how lame I am).

I’m up to 6 miles for my long runs now. I know it’s not much and I spend a lot of time wondering if I’ll really be ready for NYC, but I’m putting all my trust into my schedule. I know it’s not ideal for me to even attempt this race considering the injuries this year, but I really, really want to do this. I’m trying to make smarter decisions and have finally made an appointment with a podiatrist for later this week to see what we can do about my foot pain. Hopefully a set of orthotics is all I’ll need to continue.

I have my second triathlon a week from this coming Saturday. I haven’t specifically trained for it, and I’m not going to worry about my time or about the people I know getting competitive with it. I think I let other people get to me too much when I did Jay Benson and that kind of took away from the fun of it. I’m generally a competitive person, but not with stuff like this. I like to just be out and enjoy the moments surrounded by like-minded athletes (I still feel weird calling myself an athlete)…if I beat my PR, that’s awesome. If not, I had fun. And like I’ve always said – someone’s gotta come in last, and at least I know I can have a good attitude about it. If I hadn’t gotten into NYC I’m sure I’d be making a bigger deal out of this, but right now it’s just not my priority.

The hubs and I are also 99% sure we’ll be participating in the NM Marathon festivities in September – but we’re only doing the half. Mike’s been racing amazingly well lately. He did his first half marathon in 2:02 and a 10k last weekend in 54:00. I think he said he’s hoping to break 2:00 for this race. If I can do it in about 3:00, which is what I did my first (and only) half in, I’ll be pleased. One of my really good friends is also doing the full – it’ll be her first and I’m excited to be involved knowing she’ll be out there somewhere on the course too.

I’ve also gone back to my roots – timed intervals, the way I learned how to run almost 2 years ago. I attempted the 1 mile run/1 minute walk thing for Denver and for all my training before and after that and it just wasn’t working for me. Before I knew it, I wouldn’t even pay attention to the time on my walk breaks. I’m sure they stretched into 2-3 minutes. I tried a 5 min run/1 min walk interval last week on my 5 miler and finished it 2 minutes faster than the last (and fastest so far) 5 miler. I did it again on Saturday’s 6 miler and finished in 1:23…3 minutes slower than my fastest 6 miler, which was run about a month after Denver when I was in the best shape of my life. I’m finishing feeling great and the only times I’ve extended a walk break was if my heart rate was through the roof (I’ve also started using my HRM), but never by more than an extra 30 seconds. I’m pretty excited…I feel like I’m actually progressing now.

Alive and kickin'

2009-07-11T10:43:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I'm still here...barely. I've been insanely busy and the whole blog thing kinda got forgotten about...yadda yadda yadda.

Anyway, I have the Chile Harvest Triathlon in Socorro coming up in about 3 weeks - getting a little excited for that. It's amazing how much more fun these things seem when you do at least a little training. I've been attempting to bike to work at least a couple of times a week - the main goal is 3 times a week, but by the time Friday comes it takes all my strength to get out of bed at any time...much less the 5.45 that is required. I'm also going to start swimming in the mornings before work (I hope...this will require waking up at 4.30 and I just don't do that). I know it's bad, but the swim is my strongest leg and I don't work on it as much as I should. The running is a given...I have a marathon to train for, making this triathlon pretty low on the list of priorities. Although running is my least favorite of the three (imagine that...and I'm training for my second marathon!) it needs the most work and I'll dedicate almost as much time to that as I do studying.

Speaking of marathon training, I haven't really been able to meet up with my group lately. I think I've made it to two meetings since we started in April. First, I've had a lot going on lately on Friday nights/Saturday mornings making it impossible, but second, I just feel kind of out of the loop. I'm using a schedule that a friend designed for me, so I'm way off what the group is doing (for instance, the last time I went with them, they did 10 and I did 5). I'm trying to make Sunday and Tuesday meetings with my core group of friends, but even that has been pushed around the last couple of weeks. It's a bummer...I love these people and have a good time with them.

Today was a Saturday that I had a prior commitment though. The hubs decided (randomly) to run a local 10k...and I know, I know...he could do just as well without me watching, but I know I like having people there to cheer for me, so I went to watch and will make up my 5 miles tomorrow (with my friends!). He did amazing...he finished in about 54:00! Our friend did awesome too...she finished in about 56:00. This made me kind of glad I didn't run with them...they'd have had to wait a good 20-30 mins for me. :-S

I plan to start using the Garmin software and maybe even my heart rate monitor tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have some of those snazzy graphs and stuff that other people post in their blogs. :)

Ouch!

2009-06-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of things that "ouch" can refer to right now. First and foremost, my friend Frank got in a motorcycle accident a couple of nights ago. He seems to be feeling fine and will be released from the hospital tomorrow, but he has some broken bones and some road rash. We can't do our triathlon relay next month now, but there will be others. I'm so glad he'll be okay...this crash could have been so much worse.

I'm trying to seriously get into my training for NYC now too. The plan I'm following was put together by an awesome friend of mine and she has me increasing my mileage slowly. It's still hard...I've had one thing after an other pop up all year so even just a few miles is rough right now. I'm not really sure how I'll ever do 26. I did 2 miles tonight and it was faster than normal, but my Achilles is hurting pretty bad now. I've been stretching, icing and putting a heating pad on it, but tomorrow will tell the truth. If it's another morning that I can't walk, it's time to go see a doctor.

Boo...not a good past couple of days.

Oh. My. GOD!!!!

2009-06-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Valerie Selinger
Entry Number: 341582

Congratulations! You have been accepted into the ING New York City Marathon 2009. We are thrilled that you will be joining us on Sunday, November 1. Be sure to bookmark our site and visit it often for the latest news. Good luck with your training.

The Countdown Has Begun...

2009-06-03T09:23:00.001-07:00

I'll find out about NYC is less than 24 hours! My hopes are ridiculously high and I know the chances of me getting in are very, very slim...but I REALLY need something good to happen right now!

Blah.

2009-06-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

I'm having a really hard time. I don't have a race on my calendar and it's bumming me out. Actually, forget that...I DO have a race on my calendar and it's staring at me, taunting me every day - every TIME - I look at that calendar. I was supposed to do the Seattle RnR Marathon on June 27 but that's not happening now. I thought I was okay with this...I didn't drop because I wanted to...I had to (thanks, hamstring), but it really wasn't bothering me. Until today. I flipped my calendar at work over to June and there it was, in big, black letters with what looked like a million exclamation points after the words "Seattle RnR Marathon!!!!!!" I think I need to find some white out or something to fix that.

In addition to my bummer-ness over that race, it's starting to look like I have Achilles Tendonitis. I've had some heel pain after almost every run for a couple of months now (not that there's been a ton of running over the past couple of months...thanks, tax season). For a long time I was convinced it was just heel spurs and I was going to have to accept the fact that it's time for custom orthotics...but the pain started to travel up my Achilles Tendon and my calf feels tight all of a sudden. I mentioned it to an awesome friend of mine, who is also the co-owner of the local running shop I frequent and she threw out this whole Tendonitis theory. I figured I'd take her advice, rest it a little, ice it a lot and wait...but I refused to jump into my regular habit of obsessing over things like this and resort to hours of internet research (which always ends with a diagnosis of cancer). I woke up Sunday morning, swung my legs out of bed and stood up...and promptly hit the floor, almost screaming in pain. I have never felt anything like this before...it was horrible. I managed to crawl - literally on my hand and knees - back into bed and wake the hubs up to tell him that I was on my deathbed...this resulted in an angry, although concered hubs, going to get me a bag of ice (note to self: Do NOT fall asleep with a bag of ice in bed...it melts into water).

So now my whole plan of not obsessing and relying on internet research to figure out what is truly wrong with me is completely out the window...so far it looks like I do indeed have Achilles Tendonitis (or cancer). I spent today with a bag of frozen peas strapped to my ankle/heel (I upgraded from the bag of ice) and an unsuccesful attempt at riding my bike because my calf muscle is still really tight. Hopefully tomorrow it will be better.

In *slightly* happier news, I should find out about NYC this week or next. This can be both good and bad.

Good:
I'll have a marathon on my calendar that I WILL NOT MISS.
This is something I really, really, really, really want to do.
I'll get to see my best friend who lives in NYC a few weeks earlier than currently planned.
It gives me something new obsess over and check daily (so far in the past two weeks I've gone through obsessing over CPA Exam scores and now my Foot Cancer).

Bad:
If this foot thing/cancer turns out to be bad, it could jeapordize the race.
I'm not the smartest person when it comes to training...have I mentioned that this has been bothering me for a couple of months and I'm just now looking into it?
NYC is expensive. Both the race and the city.
Considering I'm only up to (a painful) 4 miles right now, I'm not sure I'll have time to train properly.

Eh, who am I kidding...see the first "Good" reason. I WILL NOT MISS THIS ONE!

Changes...And Random Thoughts

2009-05-27T20:46:00.001-07:00

Whew a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. First off, the hubs and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary on May 19. I can't believe it's already been 2 years! To celebrate, he bought me a cycle computer for my bike. :)

In addition to that, I made the hard - but very good - decision to leave public accounting. Again. I really like what I do and I love the people I work with, but this is a good opportunity that I couldn't turn down. It also helps that I won't have to travel anymore and will have much better benefits...and one of my best friends will be working right down the hall. And one thing that I really, honestly, seriously considered and helped make my decision - I can bike to work. It's about 15 miles one way, so it's not something I can just jump into, but I'm really looking forward to it. My goal is to start a couple of weeks after my first day and to eventually bike at least 2-3 times a week. The route is hilly for the first few miles, but it flattens out after that so I don't think it will be a problem. I am very, very excited for this (the commuting AND the job). I'll start on Monday, June 8.

Even though I'm leaving the CPA firm I work for now, I've decided to stick with taking the CPA exam. When I first started that "adventure" I didn't care much about it...it was just something I was being forced to do. But now that I've given up months of my life for this, I've come too far to just stop. I still haven't passed anything, but I should get my next score around June 20. My next exams are scheduled for July 16 and August 29...wish me luck. After taking a month off to relax, I started studying again tonight. No fun...I can't believe I'm willingly doing this.

After participating in Jay Benson (I feel wrong saying that I "raced" it considering the minuscule amounts of effort I put into training...ok, some that time was spent healing my stupid hamstrings), I immediately came home and signed up for the Chile Harvest Triathlon in Socorro. It will be on August 1. My goal for this race is to train and to go into it feeling a lot more prepared than I did for Jay Benson...I think doing it this way will make it fun. I hate to say it, but I did NOT enjoy anything about Jay Benson until it was over. Don't get me wrong...it was an awesome race and I'll be back next year...this was all my fault. At least I won't have tax season and an injury (I hope) to get in my way anymore.

Lastly, the application deadline for the NYC Marathon is next Monday, June 1. I should find out shortly whether I made it in or not. Either way, I just need SOMETHING on the calendar at this point. I decided that if I do not make it in, I'll just run the half at Duke City since it's local. The hubs and I were already planning a trip to Phoenix in January for RnR AZ, so if I do Duke City Half, I'll run the full there. If I get into NYC, I'm doing the half in Phoenix...unless I have some kind of brain damage and decide to attempt a full for both. Someone remind me of the hamstring injury from a couple of months ago if it looks like I'm headed that way...

Race report - Jay Benson Triathlon 5/10/09

2009-05-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

I always pictured my first triathlon to be a lot like my first (and so far - my only) marathon...lots and lots of hard work training and then a great big pay off at the end. As far as Jay Benson goes, I kinda skipped out on that whole "training" part of it and skipped right to the "pay off" part. Not the smartest way to do things and I'm convinced that this is why my legs are still sore (no, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I did NOT stretch after the race...I never claimed to do anything smart while preparing for this race, why start now?). All in all it was an awesome, amazing experience and I loved it. Also, my estimated finish time before the race was 2 hours.

The day started early...my friends, D, T and I decided to head over to the base around 6.00 AM, so that meant leaving my house around 5.30. Of course, when it comes to being on time, I'm always 5-15 minutes late so it was no surprise when it was 6.00 and Mike and I were pulling into a drive thru Starbucks nowhere near the base. We managed to get in, get parked and get me into the transition area, where I promptly set up my stuff next to my buddies (wrong - my triathlete friend came and fixed it later) and then milled around for the next hour or so saying hi to the gazillions of friends I had that signed up for the race and the other awesome friends who came out to be the best cheerleaders ever. The men started at 8.10 or so and by that time it was already heating up...before I knew it, it was time for me to line up. I joined the crowd of women and wandered towards the back of the pack till I found D, who was talking to a few friends of ours who'd come to cheer us on. Luckily that took my mind off what I was about to do. I wasn't even paying full attention when the buzzer sounded and the race started...I just moved forward with the crowd and the next thing I knew we were off!

The run was hot and I started out too fast, but luckily I reaized this very early on before I bonked too much. I also had been walking around with a bottle of water I forgot to throw away (I'm telling you, my mind wasn't in this) but I'm so glad I kept it. There was one water stop at 1.5 miles, but I ended up drinking my entire bottle of water. I was in the very back of the pack, alone for the most part, but I didn't mind. It was weird running without my iPod (unallowed) or watch (purposely left at home) but I think I kind of liked it - at least the watch-free part of it. I walked when I need to, wanting to save any energy I could for the bike, but I was still dizzy and neauseated when I finished. By the time I got to my transition, my triathlete friend (Frank) was standing outside the ropes but near my bike and he saved me...he walked me through everything I needed to do. I kept hearing "Ok, put your helmet on. Drink some water. Change your shoes. Get your bike." I knew what needed to be done, but I think if he wasn't there I would have taken even longer in transition than I did.

The bike was good. It felt amazing to be on my bike...I've always loved my bike, but I was worried how I'd feel trying to ride while being so hot, dehydrated and tired...but I loved it even more. The ride was hilly and the hills did get to me, but I remembered that a friend of mine said "When you get to a hill, you put your head down and you pedal...you never walk," so that's what I did. I kept repeating that on the uphills and singing Margaritaville out loud on the downhills - hey, I had to do something to get my mind off how tired I was! I got to transition again and was pretty disoriented though. I've never gotten the hang of the whole drinking while riding thing, so I didn't take in any fluids on the bike, a big mistake. I attempted to run to the pool, but after a few steps my legs yelled out "Eff you!" and I stopped and walked. I couldn't, there wasn't anything left in them.

Swimming has always been my strongest and it comes naturally. It's never felt so good to jump into a pool before...all I could think was "this is it, just get through the pool." Of course, it wasn't that easy. The pool was FULL of people and it was so hard to pass. Most people would move over when tapped, but not everyone. And to top it off, my goggles decided that this would be the perfect day to leak. Overall, it wasn't my greatest swim ever, but I was still happy with it.

It was a very fun race and it took a lot out of me...it also taught me how important it is to train properly. I must have liked it though...I just signed up for another one in Socorro in August. :)

Splits -
Run (3 miles): 40:20
T1: 3:00
Bike (20k): 50:07
T2: 2:40
Swim: 9:38
Overall: 1:45:49.45

Unser Half Marathon

2009-04-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, this is not a race report. A few months ago I had planned on being able to give you all a report on this race, but nope...I didn't do it. Instead, I'm hovering around a slow, painful 3 miles right now, which I'll take over not running at all. Instead, this post is to brag a little bit about the hubs. :)

The hubs, for those of you who don't know him personally - and I feel bad for you, is quite the character. He goes about a million miles a minute, asks thousands of questions of anyone and is really pretty gullible and come up with funny and random things all the time, but he'd kill me if I told you that (oops). In fact, my friend T and I say we're going to compile all the Mike-ism we've heard over the years and become millionaires over his hilarity. So when he told me about three weeks ago that he was still going to run the Unser Half Marathon I thought this was another one of his jokes, or something that he got mixed up. He'd been running, but only about five miles at a time for a month or two at the time...but nope, he was serious. So here we sit, at Dion's (geez, now I feel REALLY bad for those of you who don't live in NM, seriously, the BEST food!) and I'm trying to figure out how to keep him from dying on this race.

It turns out I didn't need to worry...not only did he manage to get himself up to the distance in time (although not in any way I would suggest to anyone wanting to run their first half) he did an AMAZING job during the race! I don't have a race report since I didn't personally do it, but maybe I can get one out of him in case anyone else is considering it for next year. He finished in 2:02 and was 121 out of 226...I was very impressed! And now for a couple of pictures (all courtesy of Mugshots & Pawpritnts)...

I can breathe!

2009-04-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm finally crawling out from under the rock that is known as tax season and am happy to say that I survived yet another year. Considering I don't actually DO taxes (normally - every Saturday from the end of February till April 15 this changes) survival is a huge feat in itself. I thought this year went much better than last year...at least I knew where I was messing up and could give the reviewers a heads up.

Jay Benson is less than a month away and I'm not prepared at all. I'm trying to go into it with a good attitude - it's just for fun, I'm not in it to win, blah blah blah. It's all true, but I know I'll be bummed when I do worse than I predicted back in November/December when I was figuring this stuff out. It's lame and I need to get over it. Outside of the hubs and the familia, I have three priorities - work, exam and working out. Generally I can balance all three okay but between the little injury at the beginning of the year plus the insanity of work the past few months, plus the pressure that's been put on me with the exam, something had to be scaled back on. As much as I love running, it doesn't pay the bills (or harass me every time it sees me about passing the exam it paid for).

And now for my random vent of the day. I almost feel like I have a few friends who are sitting back and waiting to watch me fail at next month's race because I wasn't able to work out as much as I'd have liked. They question me all. the. time. about how much I ran this weekend, did I bike, have I been to the pool yet? And it doesn't feel like the supportive conversations it started out as...it's more like "hmm...you and you actually think you're going to do this?" A part of me wants to scream and point out that it's not like I'm spending 12 hours a day sitting on the couch watching Oprah and eating ice cream, but the other part - the more rational part - realizes that they probably don't understand how nasty things can get. It's rough meeting my co-workers at 7AM to go out of town to a client's, working through lunch, and getting back to town between 6 and 7PM and having to decide between working some more or studying. And this isn't just through April 15, folks...my real busy season is September - December 15.

Ok, I'm done whining about how hard my life is. Now I DO feel like sitting on the couch for a few hours.

Continuing on...

2009-03-16T19:43:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the joy that is tax season and studying for the test that I really don't want to talk about right now (I swear, this is just a quick, 20 min break!) I didn't realize it's been a while since I've been here. A lot has actually happened.

Due to my 1) lapse in judgment; 2) peer pressure from friends I won't name here; and 3) did I already mention lapse in judgment??? I have signed up for my first sprint triathlon. It's on May 10 and it's one I've actually wanted to do for a long while now. Of course, in my crazy dreams and thoughts of doing a triathlon of any distance there has been some kind of serious training plan in place that I stick to. Such is not really the case here. After the hamstring/knee/leg/whatever it felt like injury that knocked me on my ass for two months, I've had a *little* trouble getting back into the swing of things. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I've found that maintaining a job and the money it brings in is essential to my well being. And that pesky test we're not talking about has interfered a little bit too. Oh, and have I mentioned that I'm lazy? Yeah, during those two months off I rediscovered this little thing called "sleep." Yes, the link is important because I'm sure I'm not the only one who had no clue what it was for a while. Nah, once April 15 comes and goes (and I celebrate with all my work buddies with copious amounts of adult beverages) I'll get a little more serious.

And to help with the seriousness, the world's most awesome, amazing hubs and parents (mine) bought me what you see pictured to the right ---->
It's an early birthday gift and I am super, duper, totally, extra excited about it. I haven't taken it out on a "real" ride just yet (unless you count my driveway) but I'm dying to.

AND beyond all this excitement, the hubs and I leave for our Jamaican vacation in 40 days. FORTY DAYS! Yeah, it's probably not the BEST idea to spend the week before my first triathlon sitting on a beach with unlimited pina coladas, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?

It eff'ing figures

2009-03-04T20:24:00.001-08:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Poor (Failure)

Take the test!

Explain to me how this happens.

2009-02-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

I randomly got my CPA exam score today for the last section I took on Jan 16. I wasn't expecting it until next month, so imagine my shock and horror when I saw a huge, glaring "70" staring at me instead of the usual "Error: Score not found...blah blah blah" that I was used to seeing. Just to recap for those of you who haven't heard me stress out over this, you need a 75 to pass, so this was not quite up to par...and add to the fact that I got a 71 on the last section I took, I was not in the best of moods today. In fact, this really explained the jumpy, nervous, overall horribly bad feeling I had all morning...at least that feeling went away as soon as I saw that disaster.

So I'm flarking pissed. I studied way harder for this section and got a worse score...funny how that works. I'm retaking the first failed section on April 3 and I guess I'll be trying to reschedule this one for the end of May now and move one new section to July (the other new section will hopefully be in August/September). At least I forced myself to run this evening and it was awesome...weather had to have been around 60 and I went out in shorts and long sleeves. Granted, that good mood ended as soon as I got back in the car and had time to think about it, but still...it was good while it lasted.

Hooray!

2009-02-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's been a really long time since I've had anything to say besides some pissing and moaning (which I'm really good at)...but I decided that rather than sit here and moan and groan, I'd just avoid the whole thing until I had something good to say. Well, I can finally report back.

After weeks of physical therapy, two orthopedic surgeons who have no clue what they're doing (again, if you have nothing nice to say...) an MRI and gaining who knows how many pounds (I took the battery out of the scale because the hubs needed one for his car clicker thing...seriously, a car clicker thing is so much better than seeing the proof of my weight gain) I have *FINALLY* been cleared to run again! It turns out that this whole pesky knee issue wasn't entirely a knee issue to begin with. Granted, the MRI did show some thickening of the plica, but it also showed that I had a very, very low level sprain in two hamstrings, which was most likely the cause of my pain. I didn't find that that out from my ortho (his answer was "No! You don't need surgery!" followed by "Run again...wait, NEVER run again...wait, run whenever you feel like it." and further followed by "Well, if you still have pain, we can always do surgery."). I guess I suck at this keeping my not-so-nice thoughts to myself thing, huh? Oh well, I'm still frusterated that I spent $40 and almost 2 hours to get no answers from him when my PT took 3 minutes to look over the MRI report and told me everything I needed to know. She rocks.

So I went out for my first run yesterday doing intervals of 2 min running and 2 min walking for a grand total of 28 mins (ok, it was probably closer to 30 mins because I wound up doing a little extra running at the end with out my watch on...hey, I had to get back to the parking lot somehow...) I went a whopping 2 miles, which I won't complain about...I won't even cry about how I should have done something like 14 miles in preparation for Seattle this summer (which I'm dropping out of). It was awesome...it was amazing! I'm sore as all heck and my legs are screaming at me in disbelief that I would make them do this horrible thing again...but I'm so super happy.

And to celebrate my return, today I entered the lottery for the NYC Marathon which will be held on November 1. I am entrant number 341582. :)

It feels like 5 years

2009-02-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

but I can (semi) run again! The ortho kinda cleared me yesterday and I'll be talking about it with my physical therapist on Friday. If things go the way I expect, I'll be back out on Saturday!

I have more to say, but it's almost 11 and I'm exhausted...tomorrow.

MRI on Wednesday

2009-02-08T21:38:00.000-08:00

and it's been six weeks today since I've run. Since I have nothing good to say, I'll leave it at that. I should be in bed anyway...it's almost 11 and I have PT at 7 tomorrow morning.

4 weeks...

2009-01-25T21:05:00.000-08:00

That's how long it's been since I've run. Four long, long weeks. Seattle is starting to look like it may not happen...or if it does happen, it'll be only as a half. I originally thought I'd be back after a couple of weeks off and if I could be going again by the beginning of February, I'd definitely be doing the full, but I'd be surprised if I can even get the MRI scheduled by then. So we'll see...Speaking of which...

I had my 2nd opinion this past Wednesday and I really liked this doctor A LOT! He examined me and said it seems like I have plica. I'm on anti-inflammatories for a couple of weeks and will be doing physical therapy to try and help that. Basically, it's not life threatening or anything (and by non life threatening I mean I'll be able to run again...someday) it's just painful and in the doc's words "it just makes you lose interest" because of the pain. If it doesn't go away, it can ruin my joint though, and that's kinda scary...and that will involve some type of injections (see two posts ago), but we caught it early enough and with my age, we should avoid that. He also said the he didn't think I have a meniscus tear, but considering I was told that I did (and as we all know by now, meniscus tears don't heal on their own) he has ordered an MRI. It has to get insurance approval first, so that could take up to a week to get, then who knows how long to actually schedule. His orders were definiately no running until after the MRI, but I can do anykind of low-impact cross training so long as it doesn't bother me.

I'm trying to formulate a plan though because this sitting around and doing things as they come thing is not working out for me. I'm really one of those people that has to keep going, otherwise watching TV or sleeping will become a priority. So far I haven't had much time to do either one of those activities, thanks to my lack of CPA exam passing abilities, but I'm afraid I'm going to have a really rough time when I can get started again. So I'm going to go lift weights Monday, Wednesday and Fridays (just upper body since my knee won't cooperate) and I'm going to swim on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I really want to bike, but it's been painful...I may try again next Saturday though, just to see. Our Jamaica trip is coming up so fast (exactly 3 months from today!) and I hate being like this, but I really want to look a little bit better in a swim suit. I feel ridiculous saying that because that is NOT the reason I even started working out, but there it is.

Our beginners group, In Motion, also starts in a couple of weeks. Both of my younger sisters have joined and I'm super excited about that. I'm hoping to be able to get out and do something - anything - with the In Motion group since they'll be there, so cross your fingers.

And I know I've been whiney lately and I've done nothing but complain...I know it's annoying. But at least by getting it out here, it's out and I'm not dumping it on everyone 24/7 the way I normally would (well, not as often anyway).

It continues

2009-01-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

After talking to a few people (physical therapists and nurses included) I've decided to skip out on the injections. Coupled with the fact that the orthopedics' office wouldn't "allow" me to talk to my doctor - or anyone, for that matter - I'm going for a second opinion with a new doctor on Wednesday. This whole thing has made the pain in my knee travel up into my head. :( Even after the cortisone injection 10 days ago, I'm in pain and my knee now feels like it's going to give out on me. That has me worried.

In totally unrelated news, I sat for another section of the CPA exam on Friday and it was about as fun as dealing with all these knee issues. I should have results for that section in March sometime. I also sit for the section I failed on February 27 and a whole new section on April 20...5 days before we leave for Jamaica, unless I need surgery, in which case I may need to postpone the trip...news that the hubs doesn't quite believe yet. I don't want to plan for or against surgery, but it would really suck to have it come out of the blue and then to have my vacation ripped away...but our vacation policy changed at work and unless we can save up some serious amounts of money (kinda hard when you fail an exam that costs $250 to retake EACH SECTION plus whatever the insurance company won't cover for the actual surgery) I'm not sure I can afford vacation for fun and then vacation for misery.

Ugh, tell me it gets better.

I'm out for a little bit

2009-01-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

Not that that's news or anything...or not that I haven't already been out for a while (2 weeks as of today). I'm just really flipping bummed and getting a little pissed off and doing the whole "why me?" thing. Needless to say, I had my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon on Friday.

It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good either. First and foremost, he said that I'm wearing down the cartilage in my left knee (the one causing the end of all happiness in my life)...according to him, this isn't too hard to take care of, but it needs to be taken care of ASAP in order to find out what is going on with my meniscus. So, in order to do this, he suggests a cortisone injection right then and there and then a series of three other injections in which they'll put this "gel" substance into my cartilage (I think...I need to do more research and find a better way to say this...I will not have some kind of cool, bionic knee after this). The sucky part about these other injections (besides the pain, and if you know me, you know that I hyperventilate, cry, puke and do all kinds of other fun things at the mere idea of injections) is that they need to be done once a week, at the same time ever week...and he only offers them between the hours of 9-11 AM, Monday through Friday. Yep, that works out just lovely with my crazy, out of town work schedule...but luckily I work for an awesome firm and they're working me around my stupid injections. I won't be allowed to do anything strenuous after the injections and - ::gasp:: - no high heels for at least the day of the injections, but I think I can survive that. It'll be rough, but I'll do my best (I am also the girl who showed up for the appt w/the ortho wearing 4 inch knee high boots.....keep that in mind).

Sooo...back to my scary problem. If these injections work out, I'll be able to start running again soon. If I can do it pain-free, I'm good. If I have pian, it's almost definitely related to my meniscus. About 10 years ago I was in high school cheerleading - shocking, I know - and I was doing this cool little stunt called a bow and arrow (Note: This is not me, this is some random girl I found thanks to Google Image Search...also, I am afraid of heights and did not trust the other girls to hold me up, so my cool little stunt was performed on the ground, where I *thought* I'd be safe). Anyway, I finally got my leg up to places that normal physical anatomy would not allow it, and the leg I was standing on suddenly gave out and I wound up in a heap on the floor...I couldn't really figure out what happened and it took me a little while to realize that my knee cap was currently sitting on the outside of my leg. I wound up with a nasty dislocated patella and a torn meniscus...but the ortho I saw at that time said I didn't need surgery, but he wouldn't be surprised if I would need it by the time I was 25...well, I'll be 26 in April.

So this new ortho that I'm seeing said that meniscus tears never heal on their own...but at the same time, you don't actually need to fix them if they don't bother you. Considering that for the past several years my only exercise consisted of moving from the couch to the fridge, it didn't bother me...but now that I do slightly more than that, there's a chance it's bothering me. He said that the fact that swimming last Tuesday night and the way he was moving me around hurt my knee, he'd be surprised if I'm not having some meniscus problems...but until I have this cartilage problem under control, there's no way to know for sure where my pain is coming from. So once I get that fixed, if I still have pain, I go in for an MRI to see where and how bad the tear is, then we discuss the surgery options...and I say goodbye to Seattle and probably to any other full marathon I was hoping to do this year too. The hubs is taking me to Jamacia in April, so any surgery would have to wait till after that. :(

So, sorry for the novel, but there it is...the bane of my existance.

Not running related, but so, so important.

2009-01-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

I have a friend. I'm not going to say who she is or how I know her...I'm not going to give very many details about her because I'm not sure she really wants to be identified. Some of you will know who she is, and if you do, please don't mention who she is unless she makes it clear she's identifying herself...she'll know it's her. In fact, she probably already knows I'm talking about her.

She's beautiful, young. Happily married. One of the best friends I could ask for...someone who has held my hand through some hard times, and I don't think she even knows how much she's helped me out. She doesn't even live nearby, but she's done so much for me. I try to talk to her daily and I miss the days I don't get to. She's also getting deployed soon. She's happy about it, excited to serve our country with honor...and because she's happy, I'll be happy for her.

But as I'm sitting here typing this, my throat is hurting and my eyes are stinging because I'm trying so hard not to cry. She's strong...she'll be okay. She's promised me she'll come home safe, so I trust her. This is the first time I've dealt with someone close to me being deployed and it's scary and strange to feel a little piece of your heart leaving.

So, Friend...I've told you this a million, gazillion times since the news came out that you were leaving...I love you. Thank you for being you. And thank you for what you do.

Great, big ::sigh::

2008-12-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

'Member how I mentioned that me knee wasn't cooperating with me in my last post? Well, if it had legs and feet of its own, it'd have jumped up and kicked me in the head today. I've been taking it really easy the past couple of weeks to see if I could sweet talk it into working with me and sometimes that seems to work...other times it doesn't. I've been noticing sometimes that it feels like it's twisting and threatening to pop out when I turn my body (hmmm, maybe I don't actually move my feet when I try to turn???)...it hurts, but not enough to make me cry and it goes away pretty quick. Anyway, I've been doing a lot more resting than moving lately. Still, my long runs are important to me for so, so, so many reasons. First of all, they're just important to my training...if I can't get in the weekly long runs, howTF am I going to run 26 miles in June? Secondly, they're my time. Even when I'm with people, we have our conversations, catch up on what we've missed in each others' lives, and then we kind jam out to our iPods, get lost in our thoughts or whatever it is that we do. I need that break. Between my insane work schedule (which is FINALLY slowing down...for a whole 2 months...maybe) and studying my ass off for a test I'm not sure I'll ever pass, I really look forward to my Saturday mornings.

So I had 7 miles on the schedule for this weekend. Not super long, but the longest since Denver and I was really looking forward to it, even though I had a bad feeling about it. I found out late Friday that our original plan (6 miles from Hell in Placitas + another mile thrown in somewhere else) was cancelled due to ice and snow, so I decided to sleep in a little and hit the Bosque. I got up at 8.00 and texted Denise to let her know I was getting ready to head out...luckily she got my message and warned me that the windchill was 4* out. FOUR DEGREES. I'm crazy - I like the cold weather. Actually, I LOVE the cold weather. But 4* and windy...Yikes. No, thank you. I decided to wait a few hours and see if it warmed up...in the meantime I studied some (booo) and played Wii Fit (OMG, the best thing in the whole world!). Noon rolls around and it's still insanely cold...run is cancelled and I'll spend the rest of the day studying (bigger BOOOO!) and trying to keep warm...7 miles can be done on Sunday.

Today rolls around and I head out for my run around 1.45 (I spent the morning studying again...I swear, if I don't pass this section...) but just walking up to the trail didn't feel right. I felt this creaking in my left knee but I was convinced that I just needed to warm up and the walk to the 8 mile mark would be perfect...not so much. I started to run and about 5 steps in...OUCH! Ok, I must need a longer warm up...a half mile more would be perfect. About 5 more steps and OUCH again. Needless to say, my 7 mile run wound up being more of a 3 mile walk. I'm not very happy with this at all, but I'm taking the week completely off running. None. Nada. Instead, I'll hit the pool tomorrow and swim laps. I don't even know how many to do since I haven't really been doing any swimming training. I know it's a gross overexaggeration, but this seriously feels like one of the worst days of my life. And there's still 12 days till I see the ortho. :(

Well that's a bummer

2008-12-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

I got my results for the CPA exam. I got a 71...I needed a 75 to pass. 4 stinkin' points. I'm pretty upset over it, although the margaritas Denise and I went for yesterday helped the pain a little. I have the next section on Jan 16 and I'll most likely re-take this section soon after that since I was so close. Stupid test.

Add to that the fact that my left knee has decided to stop cooperating with me. It started bothering me after track a couple of weeks ago. It's mostly stiff with some sharp pains every once in a while...it all comes and goes though. I finally broke down and saw a doctor for it yesterday since I also dislocated this knee about 10 years ago and the last time I had it looked at the torn ligament wasn't healing right. The doctor thought it felt like it was moving okay and the xrays came back looking really good, so now she's worried about that ligament too. I have an appointment with an orthopedics doctor on Jan 9. In my regular doctor's words, there's a chance they'll have to "intervene" but that's for them to decide. I'm not even going down that road right now. I knew it was a possibility when I injured it in high school cheerleading...my ortho then told me I' might need surgery by the time I was 25...but 25 was so far off at that time! It was nothing to worry about! Well, I'll be 26 in April...time flies when you're having fun.

Anyway, I hope to pop back in before the holiday, but if I don't have a very merry Christmas!

Next year's schedule

2008-12-15T21:43:00.001-08:00

looks full...very, very full. I need to sit down with the calendar and figure all this out. Looks like my "secret" goal of running ~1200 miles in 2009 might be something I'll accomplish. It's "secret" because I'm thinking that if I don't tell anyone, no one will know when I fail...except you all know now. I'm Emailing one of the Fleet Feet owners tomorrow to talk about Seattle training for next year too...we spoke briefly today and she shares my enthusiasm for 22 mile runs. Actually, I'm not really sure that I have enthusiasm for 22 mile runs, but I have enthusiasm for training well and meeting my (very secret) time goal, so 22 miles seems like a good way to get there. And that's just Seattle...that's not even saying I get into NYC...and if I don't get into NYC, I'm still finding a fall marathon. I know, I'm insane. Just wanted to share that with you.

I ccccan't feel my ffffingers...

2008-12-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

Oh. My. God. I finished the Farolito 5k about two hours ago and I'm just starting to warm up. I cannot believe how cold that run was. The weather sites I've checked said it was/is about 30* but the winds were out of control and the "feels like" temp was around 20*...and I believe that. We got to the Academy about 10 minutes to 5 (race time was 5.30) and met up with Denise and Francine. Francine was already threatening to skip the running and go straight to the hot chocolate we were planning on for afterwards, and in retrospect, that may not have been a horrible idea. Being that this was an Athletes Edge race, it was no surprise that a) the start line was 100 miles away from the finish line AND where everyone was gathering, so we had to hike to that (did I mention it was like 20* outside? And it really felt like 3*?) and b) it started late. I have no clue how late because my jacket sleeve is hard to pull up over my watch and by that time my fingers were frozen and in pain, but it felt like we waited about 4 hours, so we'll go with that. I stand by my well-known and earlier documented dislikement of AE.

So we get started and Denise says something along the lines of "We're really weird people for doing this." I can't help it, I have to correct her. Maybe the freezing wind froze her brain for a second or something, but we weren't weird...we were eff'ing insane for doing that...although that didn't stop us. We took one walk break at Mile 1 but it wasn't long. The course was dark and outlined in the farolitos...it was gorgeous, but if Denise didn't have her headlamp, I'm sure I would have face planted into the ground somewhere along the way. The course wound it's way through the Academy on the road, through some parking lots, across the campus, on a small, dirt path (not for long...again, I would have died if it hadn't been for Denise's headlamp...my lamp was safely in the car) and we finished with one lap around the (icy...yes, ICY) track. We finished in 39:48. Not great, but under 40:00. The hubs was there in time to watch me finish but he headed to the car immediately after. We wrapped up the night with a huge special hot chocolate at Starbucks and the hubs and I picked up some dinner on our way home. I now sit here with a beer as I relay the heroic story to you all.

All in all, this could be a fun race. The dark is scary...not because I'm afraid of mosters jumping out at me but because I have an insane fear of falling (seriously, I can't walk through a parking lot without thinking about falling). But even without my insane fear, it was just really dark and I think a headlamp is necessary for this race...the farolitos are pretty, but they don't create much light. AE needs to be more organized, but I've been saying this for months (I couldn't even get safety pins when I picked up our packets). There were no water stops along the course, which wasn't an issue for me, but for others it may have been (had this been during the day or in the summer, I would be raising hell). I'm not sure that I'll be doing this again next year. I think it'd be fun, but I'd probably be more willing to chicken out if the weather was this nasty.

Farolito 5k

2008-12-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight we have the Farolito 5k and I'm super excited about it, even though according to weather.com it's 34* but feels like 24* because of all the wind. Yes, in Albuquerque...it's not always sunshine and heat. In fact, it snowed up where the race is going to be held this morning.

For those of you who don't know what a farolito (also known as a luminaria) is, it's a lantern made out of a paper bag filled with sand and lit with a candle. They're a hispanic thing and are very popular in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas...Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque puts up a beautiful display every Christmas. You can find more info here.

Anyway, the course for tonight's 5k is inside the Albuquerque Academy grounds and is lined with farolitos, which is why the race is run at night. I've heard it's a fun race, so I'm really looking forward to it. And, to make it even better, the hubs and I went out today and bought each other our Christmas presents and exchanged them early...brand new CWX tights. :)

I'll have a race report after I thaw out and have some hot choclate with my ABQ Fitters.

Starting Over

2008-12-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm registering with next year's season of In Motion and ABQ Fit...I can't believe it's already been about a year since I started this. I remember on the first day of In Motion (the beginner's group that comes before ABQ Fit starts) we were splitting up into our proper groups. There was a beginner's group that would train towards their first 5k (this is the one I joined, obviously), a 10k group for people who had a little more experience and a half marathon group for the people who were slightly crazy. The morning of our first meeting they also announced that there would be a group of people training for the San Diego RnR Marathon that summer and they would be doing their runs the same time we were...we were free to join them too...just in case slightly crazy half-marathoning wasn't enough for you. I remember standing there, freezing in the February cold, surrounded by ~200 other people and thinking that that small group who walked off together was completely, totally insane. That thought was immediately interrupted by the realization that I was there because I hoped to accomplish the same goal as them...but not for another 8 months. And in the summer months...while I knew I was still considered crazy, I was not quite as insane as they were. Except that this year I will be one of them.

Anyway, in short, I can't wait for my second season. I've made some really good friends in this group, the hubs is thisclose to joining with me (to do a half), and I think I can really improve. It's amazing what difference a year can make.

Turkey Trek 5k!

2008-11-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! To celebrate the holiday Mike and I got up early, squeezed ourselves into spandex (ok, he didn't need to do much squeezing but all the eating I've done lately and the lack of movement has not been good to my weight loss) and we headed out for our first Thanksgiving race. Albuquerque had a couple of things going on today but we chose to do the Turkey Trek, a 5k sponsored by Fleet Feet and held at ABQ Uptown...Fleet Feet is also the new sponsor of ABQ Fit (HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!) so I was interested to see how this race would go. Also, this was my first 5k ever (I know, I've run a marathon, but never a 5k)

It figures that today is cold and rainy...Mike's most hated running weather, but some of my favorite. We got to ABQ Uptown a little before 8.00 to meet up with Denise and Francine and a few other ABQ Fitters that were running this race. Mike lined up near the front, where he belongs, Denise and I headed towards the back. We were hoping to finish around 40:00 but overall I just wanted to have a good time and get my day of eating off to a good start. :) The course was good...it was on the streets and went from ABQ Uptown to Cornado Mall and then back. There was a water stop a miles 1 and 2 which was plenty and the volunteers were nice and enthusiastic, which was really asking a lot considering it was cold and wet out and they were standing out there watching a bunch of crazies run around. It was a little hilly, but nothing impossible (of course, running the Academy last night left me with tired legs so the first hill wasn't very fun). Denise and I really pushed it the last half mile though and finished together in 37:00 flat...shattering her last 5k time by 7 minutes and beating my goal of 40:00. Needless to say, I'm pleased.

Now it's on to the reward...a day of turkey, wine and pie. I really couldn't ask for me. Have a good holiday!

Back to it!

2008-11-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

So I sat for my first section of the CPA exam yesterday. That was hell. Picking the biggest, hardest (really, they're all hard, this one just happens to have the most information in it) section to start with - during my busy season at work, no less - was not the smartest thing I've ever done. But I'm done. I at least know what to expect for the next 3 times I have to go through this (god, please let it only be 3 more times!). I'm taking the next week off studying and will sit for the next section, law and tax, on January 16. That'll be fun...I avoid tax at all cost.

To celebrate being done with this part I did a few things. First, I chopped off even more of my hair...pictures to come once I actually do it. I now look like a boy, but I like it. It'll take me about 5 minutes to do it in the morning. I then met up with Denise for margaritas - that girl is awesome! And, to top it all off, I dragged my lazy, fat ass out of bed at 7.00 this morning to start running again. I stuck with Denise for her 8 min/2 min run/walk interval and we did just under 4 miles. I was secretly happy she didn't have her watch with her today, which made it easier for me to stick with her and do the run/walk intervals...I haven't run in 2 weeks (at all...the most running I've done has been from the computer to the fridge and that's just b/c the floor is cold and I'm in a hurry to get back to the heating pad I've stuck on the floor for my feet). It was HARD! And Tramway might not have been the best idea for my first run back, but that didn't occur to me until I was half way up the first hill.

Anyway, it's good to be back. I have a better study schedule set for the next section of the exam so it looks like I'll be able to stick with running and hopefully be back up to doing 8-12 miles every weekend around Christmastime. I'm so looking forward to getting back into the mileage!

Tomorrow's the day...

2008-11-20T19:54:00.001-08:00

I sit for my first section of the CPA exam. I don't feel 100% ready, but I doubt I ever will. Once this is over I can have some kind of life again...sitting for the biggest, hardest part first - and during my busy season at work - was not smart. Cross your fingers I don't have to retake it. All I want is a 75%!

I'm alive...barely...

2008-11-13T21:17:00.000-08:00

So I know it's been a gazillion years since I've updated this thing, and trust me, I've wanted to. Especially since I got my tattoo!!! No, I don't have the most attractive feet ever, and yes, I still have a very sexy sock line from running all summer, but there you have it. For those of you lazy people who don't feel like scrolling down like 2 posts, it means "Determination" in Greek. The marathon has Greek origins, hence the language. Also, I put it on my right foot since I had problems with it before my race and seriously thought I wasn't going to make it to Denver...Stupid foot. Originally it was going to go on my left foot, but after that little experience, I decided the right had more significance to me. Also, my sister, Aliza translated it and drew it for me. Super cool! It hurt - bad - but not as bad as I was expecting. There were no tears. :)

But besides this, there has been no excitement in my life. I sit for the CPA exam, aka: "That Damned Test That's Taking Over My Life And I Don't Think I'm Going To Pass So I'll Be Doing This For The Next 10 Years," next Friday (the 21st). I haven't had time to do anything at all. I go to work at about 7AM and leave/get back to my car at about 5.30PM (depending on whether or not I'm working out of town - 98% of the time I'm in Grants or Santa Fe). I get home around 6.00 and start studying around 6.30 or 7.00 and usually try and go until 10.30 or 11.00. Needless to say, I'm not learning very much because I do all this stuff ALL DAY LONG, then come home and mess with the theory behind it some more...I'm only getting about 5 1/2 hrs of sleep every night and I'm exhausted. I don't have time to run. I don't have time to bike. I don't have time to clean. I DO, however, have time to bitch and whine about how much this sucks.

So, with that said, I'll sign off before I go off on some random vent about how stupid it is to discounts bonds. Because it is. No one does it in real life.

Now what???

2008-11-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

I met up this morning with the ex-ABQ Fitters who are running the San Antonio Rock n Roll in a couple of weeks. They did between 10 and 12 since they're starting their taper, and even though I'd wanted to do 10, I held back and did 5. I figured that since I haven't done a serious run since the race (the ~20 shuffle thing that I did on Monday doesn't count) I should have some restraint. My goal is to get out a few times next week, but since the time has to go and change on me and all, we'll see how that goes. The dreadmill and I are not friends. Something tells me it's going to be another long, cold, dark winter running little circles around my condo community. Not fun.

I feel a little lost though. When I first started running it was because I wanted to run this marathon and it was going to be super hard and I couldn't run unless I was being chased...and even then, I'd probably just give up and hope I could talk my way out of whatever horrible fate I was facing. So going out every Saturday morning and several times during the week was something I had to do if I wanted to get to the training. Once I got through In Motion and started with ABQ Fit, it was time to get serious. I'd already proved to myself that I could get something started...now I just had to finish it. So I got up even earlier on Saturday and never saw friends on Friday nights...I didn't want to feel too tired. If I missed a run, I'd make it up, even if it meant doing it alone for hours and hours at a time. But it was so easy to do - I had this huge, giant goal sitting there staring at me, saying "If you don't do this now, you'll never make it." Well, I did the training and I completed my goal.

Now what?

I don't have that let down feeling that I've been told to expect. I'm still elated over the fact that I ran a marathon and I can't wait for the next one...but it's not till June. It's WAY too early to train for it now. Part of me wants the break from the high mileage, but part of me misses it already. I found a 10k that I'll do on Thanksgiving morning and there's a 5k and a sprint triathlon I want to do in December but for some reason those just don't have me quite as excited. Well, the tri does, but I know I'm not going to do that great because I'm not training.

Anyway...I guess I just need to find a race close to home between now and June. :)

Motivation

2008-10-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

It's gone. Gone gone gone. I almost don't know what to do with myself...and it's not just the running...I know that'll come back fairly quickly. It's with everything. I sit for the first section of the CPA exam in about 3 weeks and I am not prepared at all. I'm on chapter 3 of a 9 chapter book and I'm messing around on The Nest. I know I need to study. I actually kind of WANT to study because I really, really, really want to pass this section. But I want to know what's going on in the lives of my Internet friends too. I keep thinking that if I put half the effort I put into my training into my studying, I'll pass. Yet, here I sit, typing out a blog entry. I lead a sad, little life.

And sometime in December there will be a post from me whining about how I failed miserably. I really need to pull my crap together. :(

I'm taking the plunge

2008-10-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a new tattoo. I've said for the past several months that I'd do it if/when I finished the race, but I had a hard time figuring out exactly what I wanted. I'm not big on pictures (so no running shoes, or pictures of little running dudes or anything like that...no offense to anyone who has something like that, I've just never been into it) so I was kinda stumped. I finally decided that I wanted something written in Greek (since the marathon has Greek origins) and I thought "Victory" would be kinda cool...except "victory" translated into Greek is "Nike." Yeah, loses some of it's coolness. Even when put into Greek characters, I knew what it meant and I just couldn't bring myself to walk around with "Nike" written on my body for the rest of forever.

Anyway, my sister Aliza, who rocks by the way, helped me translate a few things (she's a History major and has taken some Greek classes...like I said, she rocks) but none of it seemed right. Finally a couple of weeks ago the hubs and I were talking about it (well, I was talking and he was sitting there quietly and nodding his head when appropriate...he's not a tattoo fan) and he came up with a great idea...the word "Determination." I let it sink in and hmm...I like it. I like it a lot. It fits...it describes the whole journey in one, little word...exactly what I was looking for. Since it was kinda late, I just threw it into an online translator and went with whatever popped out and thought...hmm, looks good too. This is it. Thank god I remembered to ask Aliza to look into the translation yesterday though because it turns out the word I found was "Definition" not "Determination" so that could have been a huge mistake. So Aliza translated it last night, drew it out for me and now I have an appointment on Saturday, Nov 8 to get it permanently engraved on my right foot (remember my foot problems? That's why I want it on my right foot). Aliza did such a good job drawing it out that the artist suggested going with what she drew, making changes only for some spacing issues. Have I mentioned that my sister rocks?

Anyway, this is what it translates to, except it's in my sister's handwriting and the first A is capitalized, and actually the "a" is not supposed to look like this at all, but this is the best I can find online:

αποφασιστικότητα

The reason we're all here...

2008-10-21T16:05:00.001-07:00

I've had a hard time thinking about what I would say when I actually got around to sitting down and putting my thoughts out here in cyberspace. The buildup to Sunday was so long and once the race was actually over it took a while for me to sort out my thoughts...in fact, I'm still in the process of sorting them out, so I'm sure I'll be coming back to this down the road.

Sunday morning came faster than I thought it would, but at the same time, it felt like it was taking sooo long. We got up at 4.30 AM so I'd have enough time to eat, get dressed and make my way down to the starting line. Even though I was so tired Saturday night, I couldn't sleep. I wasn't really nervous, but I just had a hard time. It didn't seem to matter though - I was wide awake when the alarm went off, and I didn't even need the second alarm to go off before I was out of bed and eating my pre-run breakfast (pop tart and banana for those of you nosey people). At 5.45 me, Mike and my mom all headed down to the starting area to meet up with Denise. The entire time, I felt great...no nerves at all. I was just really excited. I think it helped that I'd spent the past couple of days telling myself that it was "just another long run."

I finally went to line up at 6.45 and made my way all the way to the back of the pack...I know where I belong! On my way back there though I found a 5:30 pace group and I stopped - big mistake. After chatting with them for a while, I admitted that 6 hours was probably more realistic for me, but I'd start out with them and just try to keep their balloons in sight. They were such a cool group of people! Honestly, if they weren't so nice, I would have been smarter and left them alone! I didn't even hear the gun go off...it could have been because I was so far back, or - most likely - because I was too busy running my mouth with my new found friends. Anyway, before I knew it, we were off! I stayed with the pace group for the first mile and then realized that as much fun as they were, there was no way I was going to manage that pace for the next 25 miles, so I dropped back. It was so sad seeing their balloons slowly bounce away in the distance, but by Mile 12, I couldn't see them at all anymore.

I wish I was able to break the race down mile by mile, but I really can't. I was out there for hours and hours, and I know it was a long time, but it's still a blur. The course was so pretty and wound it's way through downtown Denver and past some points-of-interest in the city, as well as some gorgeous parks and some really fun neighborhoods. The race went very well for me. I know it wasn't fast by any means, but it wasn't bad. The only horrible thing that happened was my iPod froze up at Mile 18 and a race official was a few feet away when I made that horrible discovery...and he had news for me. He said "Just so you know, you're about 2 minutes slower than the 6 hour pace." Yes, thank you for pointing out my slowness...it's not breaking news. He wasn't being rude, and it WAS the truth, but talk about horrible timing. Anyway, I was forced to finish the last 8 miles with no music. 8 long, grueling miles.

Everyone told me that the marathon really starts at Mile 20, but I don't think it got much harder until Mile 22...but even at that, I honestly don't think I ever hit the wall. I was literally expecting a giant brick wall to drop from the sky at any moment, but it never did. I won't lie - it hurt. My legs hurt. My back hurt. My feet hurt. There was this clapping sound in my ear that wouldn't go away, so even my ear hurt. But it wasn't the kind of pain that makes you want to stop. I never once asked myself "Why am I doing this?" I saw Mike, Denise and my mom at Mile 23 and I said "This is so hard. Seattle...no way." But the second the words were out of my mouth, I wondered why I'd said them. Yes, it was so hard. It was, by far, one of the hardest things I've ever done, but OF COURSE I was still doing Seattle! I'd been re-thinking my training program the last couple of miles by that point, 100% intent on doing even better then.

Also somewhere in the 23rd or 24th mile a bunch of bicycles had caught up to me and another woman near me. I heard them talking amongst themselves and figured out that they were part of the race crew and were sweeping the course...but I was going to be the last road racer. Yep, you read that right. They decided to open the road right behind me. I don't know how I pulled that one off, but I'm so glad I did. It would have been horrible to have to finish on the sidewalks! Anyway, this got me and the other woman talking and I found out that she was turning 50 soon and she had just finished up her last round of radiation the week before the race...she'd survived thyroid cancer. It took everything inside of me to not stop running right then and there and burst into tears. We spent the next couple of miles going back and forth, one of us in front of the other. At 25.75 she caught up to me again and said "Can I stay with you? You're going to finish this thing and I'm not sure I will. I need to be with someone who will finish." I showed her my watch and said "We have less than 3/4 of a mile to go. We're both going to finish!" The next thing I knew, Mike was by my side saying "the finish line is right around that corner, you're going to run a marathon!" I looked up and saw the 26 Mile marker and took off.

The shoot was so long and I felt like I was running so fast down it. My legs were on fire and my feet felt like they were bruised and blistered, but I couldn't stop. I heard the announcer say "Here comes Valerie into the finish line" and all I could think was "raise your arms for the picture!" I swear, hearing the beep of the timing mat was one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. My mom, Mike and Denise were all standing right in front of the finish line and I couldn't help jumping on top of Mike as soon as I was done. It was officially one of the happiest moments of my life.

(In order: Almost there, FINISHED!, and Completely Exhausted but rocking the pink Crocs!)

The official chip time was 6:08:15 and I was the last one in my age group. I'm 100% happy with it. :)

I've read so many marathon race reports and thought how can it be so short...you're out there for so long??? But really, it's so hard to summarize the entire race and to put it into words. It's really something that you need to experience and even then, I don't think it'd ever be the same for different people. I've heard so many times that running a marathon will change your life, and I'm still waiting to see the change in mine. No matter where I go, or what happens to me down the road, I'll always be a marathoner. Emotionally, I feel a little different. I feel like I can take on anything now. And even though it sounds a little dumb, the fact that I did those last 8 miles without my iPod - my lifeline - I feel even stronger for it. I feel proud of what I've done...not only the race, but the fact that my husband has definitely decided he's doing the next half marathon that comes up and most like a full within the next year or so...and our friend, who despised running only a year ago, is so excited and motivated now and has decided he wants to give a marathon a shot. Inspiring others was something that I never thought would come of this, but if it has....wow. I'm speechless. For once.

I survived!

2008-10-19T17:18:00.001-07:00

Official time was 6:08:15. I'll have a full report tomorrow or Tuesday.

TOMORROW

2008-10-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

I am so nervous. I'm sitting in my hotel room right now, waiting for Mike to get back from the gym (yeah, he's that crazy and won't even take a day off during vacation). We went to the expo last night and picked up my race packet...I couldn't believe how emotional just that experience was. I'll admit it - I got teary. I can't believe I'm here! We spent a little bit of time walking around the expo, spending a little bit of money...I did a lot better than I thought I would and I only bought this little belt thing that holds your bib on it and has a little pouch that expands to hold all kinds of goodies. Oh, and I bought my 26.2 sticker to put on my car tomorrow afternoon too. The weirdest part was that there are no finishers shirts...I was very disapppointed, but I guess I'll have to settle for something else. Oh! And I found a pace bracelet for a 6 hour marathon! I know that's insanely slow, but it's what I'm hoping for (ok, I'm truly hoping that something magical will happen and I'll finish in under 4 hours, but just incase...). Anyway, I grabbed one of those too...how sad is it that you're SO happy to find a 6 hour pace bracelet and then realize that they put the Boston Qualifying times right in front of it? Yeah, way to rub it in that I will NOT be finishing in the 3:40 needed to go to Boston next year.

Anyway, I'm heading back today for a lecture on Marathon Nutrtion and to hear a two-time Olympian speak (I can't remember his name for the life of me right now) and to probably buy just a palin ol' Denver Marathon shirt.

I'm doing okay so far...I definitely have butterflies but I'm more excited than anything. All that keeps running through my head is "OMG I'm running a marathon tomrrow!" and 'OMG that's a really long way!" and "OMG I hope I make it!" and "OMG what am I thinking, of course I'm going to make it!" and just regular "OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG" when I run out of other things to say. I think god and I are pretty tight right now with all the talking to him I've been doing today.

So yeah, I'm just trying to relax and keep my stomach from jumping out of my body. So far, so good.

Countdown to Denver: ONE DAY.

Gracias

2008-10-16T16:55:00.001-07:00

I wanted to do this later, closer to the race, but I'm afraid I won't have time, so I'm doing it now.

There are a few really special people who have been unbelievably supportive over the past year of my insanity and while this may not be the most exciting blog entry ever, it's the most important I've ever written. This is my "Thank You" to those amazing people.

My parents - they thought (ok, knew) I was nuts when this idea first came out...and after the first few arguments over it, they finally gave in and jumped on board. I know my dad really wants to be joining us on the 6 1/2 hour drive to Denver (and back on Monday!)...and the hours upon hours at the expo all weekend...and the hours chasing after me and waiting for me at specific mile stops on Sunday...but he can't and I understand that. Sucks, but trust me, I know how it goes. My mom has to board her new puppy and I know that kills her, but she's doing it. - They rock.

Cathy, my mother in law and Danny, my brother in law - totally awesome people. They get super excited over the race any time it's mentioned. Danny's saving our lives by watching the dog and cat this weekend. Thanks!

My sisters (Aliza and Hopie), brothers in law (Nick and Ricco) - They all listen to me go on and on...and they all deny that they'll run the next one with me, but I know they will. :)

Terie - The most awesome coach ever who became a good friend. It's because of her that I'm running this race.

Denise - Seriously...it takes a GOOD friend to travel all the way to Denver to watch you run for hours on end (ok, she really wants to go to the expo too!). This is an amazing, beautiful woman. I'm so lucky to have found such an awesome friend!

Tracey, aka: Runner - Without her, I wouldn't be where I am. We don't get to talk nearly as much as I'd like, but I know she's cheering me on.

Reynetta - one of the best friends a girl could have. We don't see each other enough, but she's my biggest cheerleader.

Paula - You always have the right thing to say at the right time. Everytime I'm frusterated with this whole thing, you get me back where I need to be. We may not know each other IRL, but you're one of my best friends.

Alicia and Jacq - My absolute best friends. You guys put up with all my craziness...both the running craziness and the regular craziness. I wouldn't be me without you girls.

Mandy, Kristin and Kylene - Your Emails save me every single day of my life. Knowing that you're thinking of me on Sunday will save me then too.

Heather, aka: Rotty - Woman, you keep my motivation going when I'm sure it's gone forever.

The rest of my May 2007 Nesties - I've never met a group of women more inspiring and supportive. From the first time I ever mentioned running a marathon (which was in June 2007...yep, I remember) you girls have ALWAYS been the ones to tell me "you can do it." Not one of you have ever told me that I couldn't or that I should re-think my goal. None of you questioned my sanity (you should have)...you've all let me ramble on and on for the better part of a year about stuff you don't care about. For that, I thank you and I love you all.

And last, but furthest from the least, the hubs - words cannot describe the gratitude and thanks I would like to express. He has let our house fall apart. He's gone to bed at 9.00 every Friday night for 8 months now and sacrificed seeing our friends. He's even had the same dinner with me every weekend all throughout training...and none of it with a single complaint. He's listened to my whining about sore muscles, my pace and things that don't need to be repeated here...and he's put up with it. If I had the chance, I'd marry him all over again, just for these reasons. Mike, I love you just for putting up with me during this time - all the other reasons are icing on the cake.

Thanks again to everyone. I will update again after the race!

Countdown to Denver: 3 days!

The last...

2008-10-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my last run before the marathon and I went into it with mixed emotions. I've been pretty nervous all week, but I've really calmed down over the past day. Tonight for some reason, I was really sad knowing that it was the last one before the race. It's kinda hard to explain...it's not like I'm never going to run again. My plan is to take a week off and then to slowly build my mileage up again.

Anyway, I had a hard time deciding where I should go for this monumental two mile run. Logically, I should have just stayed home and run around my little neighborhood...but a hundred laps around my condo community is just too much monotony to handle. And it's too easy to quit when I get bored. I could have gone to my mom's house and run in the arroyo behind her house, which is what I did last night...or I could have gone to Maraposa Park...but neither one of those options seemed right. Suddenly, it hit me. The Bosque. I know what you're thinking...duh...you ALWAYS run in the Bosque! Yeah, I'm down there a lot, but tonight was so fitting. This is where it all started, on a cold day in early February when I first met up with the In Motion group (most of which would later become ABQ Fit). So that's where I went...it was nice too. Not too many people, the weather was good.

So this is it. Just lots of rest and carbs now...stuff I'm actually good at! I have one more day at work and then we leave on Friday morning. Now I just need to resolve the crisis I'm having with my iPod, and I'll be okay. The next time I put these running shoes on, it's for real!

Countdown to Denver: 4 days!

::Sigh::

2008-10-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

So I just got back from my last group run with my fellow ABQ Fitters. We ran 10 miles on Tramway (can you say "hilly?") and even though I'd plan to make it only 8, I was feeling so good at the 4 mile mark, I decided to keep going and make it 10. According to the non-ABQ Fitters I know, 10 the week before a marathon isn't a good idea, but it's too late now. I still feel great. Granted, I felt something pop in my stupid, god forsaken foot around 8.5 miles (yes, the same one that hurt all last month...and even in the same, stupid place) and it hurt pretty bad, but a little bit of walking seemed to help. I'll just make sure to ice this week and I'm sure it'll be okay by the time I get to Denver.

Anyway, I'm a little sad that the season is over. I've made some totally awesome friends, and even though I know we'll stay friends through Winter Warriors and In Motion and probably ABQ Fit next year, it feels like the end of an era. Hell, it IS the end of an era! I've finished training for my first marathon - that's a huge deal! That's about as huge a deal as doing the race itself! I was talking to one of my friends a couple of weeks ago, after the 19 miler, and she pretty much told me that she was surprised I've made it this far. She didn't come right out and use those words, but that's what she meant. I don't blame her at all - when I first told her I was going to run a marathon, we were sitting at TGIFridays drinking beer and I was almost 40 lbs heavier. It didn't upset me at all to hear her say that, and she really meant it in the nicest way possible. But I have to be honest too...I'M a little surprised that I've made it this far. I know myself...I have a habit of starting things that sound great, but after a couple of weeks, forget about it. Once it gets hard, I'm out. Why do you think I was 40 lbs heavier in the first place? Yeah, the beer had something to do with it, but my love for sleeping in and sitting on the couch also contributed.

So anyway, I'm saying it publicly...regardless of what happens over the next 8 days, I am really, really, really proud of myself. I have already proven to myself - and probably to a few others - that I am capable of so much. Now I just need to show myself that I'm capable of 26.2!

Countdown to Denver: 8 days!

Oh crap

2008-10-05T17:27:00.001-07:00

I'm running a marathon in two weeks. TWO WEEKS.

Excuse me while I go puke.

So Long, Farewell...

2008-10-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Even though training isn't 100% officially over, it feels like it is. 8 miles this Saturday and 10 miles next Saturday...that's nothing! Ok, I know it's something but after the hell I put my body through this past weekend - not to mention the hell that is coming up in 17 short days - this is nothing. Anyway, it's a little sad, but happy at the same time. I won't miss getting up at 4.30 AM to choke down a peanut butter sandwich (oh god, just the thought makes my stomach turn) and I am SO excited to be able to go out and do something on a Friday night...but I know how it's all going to work out. One weekend off, and even at that, it's probably not an "off" weekend. The ABQ Fitters that are going to San Antonio next month have their 22 mile run on 10/25, so my friend D and I are going to ride our bikes in the Bosque that day to make sure they stay hydrated and happy. Plus, on 10/26 is the Day of the Tread bike ride here in ABQ and I'd like to do the 20 mile ride (ok, I wanted the 50 or 80 mile ride, but lets be realistic here...I'm running a freakin' marathon the week before. Let's not kill ourselves too quickly). But the following weekend, I know I'll be up and ready to run again...maybe not at 6.30 in the morning, but definitely before noon. I know, I know...it still amazes me that I can be anywhere before noon on a weekend. And in spandex at that.

I'm not fooling anyone either. I have the Seattle Rock n Roll marathon in June and I want to train better for that than I did Denver. Hopefully work will slow down (HA!) and I will be able to increase to 5-6 days of running for that. But right now, working 50+ hr weeks kinda kills any kind of fun you may have on the agenda. AND...I haven't told the hubs just yet (because I'll get a lecture on spreading myself too thin or something lame like that) but I want to do a century ride next year. Or least really bond with my bike. God, I miss that thing.

Anyway, I was just kind of going over my thoughts from the past few months and wow. I just can't believe that this point in my training is already here.

Countdown to Denver: 2 weeks, 3 days

Walking used to be fun

2008-09-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

I can't move. Seriously, every time I move, even if it's just to breathe or to type out this post, I want to cry. My legs hurt SO bad, it's unbelievable.

We had our 4 hour run, which turned into more like 4 1/2 hours for me (I was so close to Alameda and the porta-potty I ran extra to get to it...hey, if it saves me a trip into the trees, it was worth that extra 1/2 hour). I figured I'd get 17 miles or so in about 4 hours, but in the end I wound up with about 19 and the loss of use of my legs. I was going to push it to 20, but by that time I was convinced I had a blister on the bottom of my foot, that foot injury that's been hurting the past couple of weeks was insanely bad by mile 17 (in retrospect, it wasn't that bad), and a few coaches saw me coming in and came out to cheer and clap for me. I couldn't just breeze past them.

Anyway, the significance of this run is that it was the last long one of the season. We are officially tapering now...I have 8 miles next week and 10 the weekend after that. Then, RACE DAY!

Here's my gripe for the day though. How lame is it that there are no porta-potties on the Bosque trail? Unless I'm super lame and just never noticed or saw any...but I haven't mastered the art of finding good tree cover and on almost every long run the at some point I think I wish there were a porta-potty at that next parking area. You know you're getting desperate when you're wishing for porta-potties. Really though, it's a 16 mile stretch of bike and running trail and the only toilet I know of is at Alameda. Weird.

Countdown to Denver: 3 weeks!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

Friday was a pretty special day for me...it was my one year anniversary. If you're looking to the right side of the screen, you're probably shaking your head and thinking Umm, no...you got married on MAY 19 and that first anniversary was a few months ago, you freak. Nope, it was the first anniversary of my relationship with running. Yeah, I remember the date...like I said, it was special. Granted, it led to about a month off because of some sucky shoes and a knee injury, so it wasn't really, really consistent until February (Feb 2 of this year, if you must know...ok, I'm just weird about remembering dates...my hubsand freaks out over it, but seriously, I can remember ANY date. Honest, it's some kind of weird thing I have) but yeah. Sept 19, 2007 I set out for my first run after having mulled over the idea of running the Duke City Marathon in 2008...I'd spent the couple of weeks before researching training plans and decided to start out running for 2 minutes and walking for 2 minutes until I hit a total of 30 minutes. Yeah, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be and it wasn't until I joined a beginners group later on and got on a good training program that I saw the light at the end of the tunnel (and some good shoes...God, shoes are SO important!).

And, not only was it my one year anniversary, it also marked the one month countdown till the Denver Marathon!

Anyway, since my sister got hitched yesterday (Saturday, Sept 20), which was totally awesome and pics will be posted as soon as I can get some, I had to do my 12 mile "group" run on Friday. What a great way to celebrate my anniversary. Um, yeah. Not if your stupid foot is still bothering you from your 18 mile run 2 weeks ago. It bugged me last week on my 6 mile run (also alone...5.00 AM is not the same as 5.00 PM and I realized the importance of this while setting my alarm clock last week...unfortunately, I didn't relize the importance until I missed the group run because the alarm did not go off). I didn't run at all during the week because of the pain in my foot and the fact that I was in Chicago for work, and I figured it would be nice and rested for the 12 miler. Nope. 2 miles in it was hurting. The 12 miles turned into the 10 miles from hell...I finished it by walking the last .75 miles crying and talking to the hubs on the phone and trying to figure out what I've done in my past life to deserve this. In all, I must have walked at least 2 of those 10 miles.

So I'm not really sure what to do now. I have a 4 hour run scheduled on Saturday and it's the last long one before the race. I'm not skipping the race...I've come too far for that. It's feeling pretty good now and I know that by tomorrow it'll be even better. Come Saturday morning it'll be 100%, but by Mile 2 on Saturday morning is when I usually start having my issues. My plan is to make an orthopedic appointment and beg for something this week, but it'll probably take a couple of months to get in (damn new insurance companies!)...other than that, I'm going to hit it with some serious ice and bond with my bike. Lord knows I miss it anyway. Anyway, that's that. Figures. I go this long just fine and six weeks before the race SOMETHING has to happen.

Countdown to Denver: 4 Weeks!

I survived! A report!

2008-09-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

I'm officially a half marathoner and I even have the medal to prove it...and as soon as I can meet up with my mom, I'll have some pics too. Wow, what a day. Not at all what I expected, but I am wiped the crap out.

I met up with the Albuquerque Fit Marathon Group for a 5 mile "warm up" run at 5.00 this morning, which required a 3.00AM wake-up to eat some oatmeal and a banana (don't worry, I fell back asleep for another hour, which is probably the best sleep I got all night). It was dark and cold when we met up and very, very different, but nice all the same. I ran with Coach T (who rocks...I can't ever get over how much she rocks) and we originally decided to do 4 miles and then do a 1 mile cool-down after the race...we ended up doing closer to 4.5 though. It was so weird being out running along Paseo and in the Bosque at that hour...it was so quiet and deserted. All you could see was a little bundle of bouncing lights ahead of us thanks to everyone's headlamps (damn! I forgot a pic of my super cool headlamp straped to my head for you all!). Anyway, we finished the 4.5 and got to hang out for an hour till the race started...not ideal, but what can you do?

So, on to the race...or, as I prefer to call it, the "super organized training run with bling at the end" because, as I stated earlier, THIS IS ONLY A TRAINING RUN. And I ran it as such...nice and slow. Miles 1-3 were a blur and went by pretty quick. I set up my watch to run 6 min running/2 min walking intervals, so I can't tell you what my pace was...it was really, really, really slow though. At 4 I took a Gu and was still feeling good. At 6 we saw Mike and Frank on their bikes and we made our way off Rio Grande and onto the Bosque path. Mike filled up my bottles and we kept on going.

At 9 things started to get a little hard. I'd had to make a quick "run into the trees stop" so I ran harder to catch up to my friend, D, and I think that hurt me. Plus, my shoes should have been replaced a while ago (I bought new ones Friday, but I'm not wearing new shoes on an 18 mile run!) so my foot was hurting pretty bad too. D was having her own issues and we decided to split apart. I took off just barely ahead of her, but thank god I was nearby...sure enough, the water stop at Mile 10 was gone. Fin. No more. Mike and Frank were riding slowly next to me and I knew D needed more water, so luckily they were able to re-fill her...I'm pretty unimpressed though. The sponsors of this race were responsible for the water on our 16 mile run a few weeks ago too (the ones that didn't show). Not sure what the deal was, but still....I hope there was a good reason because there were a few people behind us too. Anyway, Mile 12 was the longest. mile. EVER. Ever ever ever ever. It never ended. At this point, I'd abandoned my 6 min/2 min intervals (my foot was killing me) was was doing more like 5 min/3 min intervals. Near the end Coach D saw me coming in and ran next to me. Poor thing, I know she was talking to me, but I had my headphones on so loud and couldn't spare the energy to take them out to hear her. Once I got to the straightway for the finish line BAM! I had energy and then some! Headphones came out and I swear I was running a 4 minute pace. I crossed the line at a slow 3:09:44...Not good, but not as bad as it could have been, especially considering our early morning "warm up."

So, yeah...I've actually run a race now. It was pretty quiet and lonely on the course and I'm so happy I'm not running Duke City as my first full marathon now. I've heard good things about Denver's crowd support and I'm excited about it...nervous because I can't imagine going out and running another 8 miles right now, but super excited too. I'm also thinking that with better crowd support and maybe sticking with my 1 mile/1 minute intervals (or maybe 5 min/1 min...something to try on our 4 hour run in a few weeks) I should be okay with Denver's 6 hour cut off. I've already suffered my 20 minutes in an ice bath and now I'm debating either finding some food or taking a nap...tough choice. Think the nap's gonna win, but mostly because my foot is still bothering me. But first, those stupid shoes are going to find their way to the trash can.

Butterflies in my tummy

2008-09-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

Uh oh...I'm doing exactly what I said I wasn't going to do. Tomorrow is my 18 mile training run...the one that is the Chips n Salsa half marathon with a 5 mile warm up...and this is ONLY a training run. Nothing else. But in my mind, it's turned into a race...or an "event" because we all know that there will be no "racing" where I am concerned. I tried really, really hard to focus on this being just another long, slow, weekend run with my group, but how many group runs require picking up a race packet, pinning a number to my shirt and getting a medal when I'm done? It's hard to keep things in perspective when they aren't the normal things at all.

I'm sitting here, at 5.30 PM and I can't concentrate on anything. Hell, I haven't concentrated on anything all week. Every time I opened my book to study, I was automatically computing pace times instead of calculating unearned revenue or construction in progress. Trust me, I'd much rather think about pace times, but I can't. My studying is suffering because of this and I'm worried about it. And this is JUST a training run. WTF am I going to do in six weeks from now when I'm sitting in a hotel room in Denver? Guess I better start begging forgiveness from the hubs, my padres and my poor friend, D, who's stuck going with me.

Anyway, my stomach is flipping, my hands are shaking and I keep forgetting to breathe (something that I hope I remember to do tomorrow morning). I know I can do this, I just want to do it in a way that I enjoy myself and can look back and say "wow, I had so much fun on that 18 mile TRAINING run." So, if anyone sees this before tomorrow morning, wish me luck. I'll be back tomorrow evening with a race - I mean training - report. In between catching up on my studying.

- Signing off for the last time as Duff, Newbie Racer

Yikes

2008-09-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

I think this is the first year that I'm actually jumping for joy that summer is kinda over. Granted it's still a million gazillion degrees out (ok, it's more like 79, which I know isn't horrible) but I am so ready for it to seriously cool off. I shouldn't complain because it really has been getting better and I can see that in my finish times, but I'm just dying. I'm still waiting till 7PM to run - ok, that's partially because I work late now - but I'm losing daylight now. I almost can't wait till it's cool enough to bring my huge bag of stuff and change into my extra sexy spandex at work and just run as soon as I leave the office or client or wherever I am.

So the biggest training run I'm going to do is coming up in six short days. We have 18 miles on Sunday, September 7. We're doing 5 miles as a group at FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING (yes, I did just virtually yell at you...no one in their right mind gets up on a Sunday to run five miles at 5.00 in the f@%&ing morning) and then we're all entering the Chips 'n Salsa half marathon. So, just to be realistic, this is 18.1 miles. The only good thing about running at 5.00 in the f@#%*%$ing morning is I can't bitch about it being too hot...oh, and I get to buy a headlamp. That might be sexier than running around my office in spandex.

So after this, my next longest run is a 4 hour run, which lets face it - will not be the 20 miles I was hoping for (yeah, you read that right...I was HOPING to run 20 miles). My coach, T, told me to stop worrying about this so much so I'm taking her advice and my worrying will be put on hold until at least the morning of 10/19 when I'm sure I will worry about absolutely everything, including things I didn't even think I was capable of worrying about.

So anyway, if any of you will be in the Albuquerque area next Sunday and want to watch me kill myself, let me know and I'll tell you where the start/finish line is for Chips 'n Salsa, and also where Mike and my mom are going to be on the course (the want to see me mid-death).

Countdown to Denver: 6 weeks, 6 days!

Two months!

2008-08-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Or 8 1/2 weeks. Or 61 days. Or 1,464 hours. Or 87,840 minutes...

until my race!

The time is just flying by, and I know it's going to go even faster now. Thanks for all the support so far! Even though it's going to come fast, there's still a lot to do, and I appreciate all the help I've received from everyone. Granted most of you probably just delete my Emails or put the phone down and walk away when I start rambling on, but thanks anyway for letting me get as many of my nerves out now as possible!

<3

Finally! A great run!

2008-08-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

And I'm saying it was a great run despite the fact that we ran out of water on the course. I think it was the fact that I was nervous for this one. With the 12 miler I'd had a good 10 miler and I thought that I'd breeze through 12 (until I was driving up there and OMG the hills were enough to make me want to cry at just the thought). I was convinced the 14 miler was going to be in the Bosque, so despite the knee pain I was having and the nasty 12 miler I'd already had, I thought I'd get through that okay. No way. It was the worst run of my life. It was hot, we ran out of water on that course too and it just sucked overall. So needless to say, I was dreading this 16 miler today. DREADING it. I spent all week with butterflies in my stomach and feeling neauseated just thinking about it.

But I did it! I met up with my friends D and F early - although not as early as planned. All running shoes look the same at 5.30 AM and I tried to get out the door in a very old, very useless Nike on my right foot (and the correct shoe on my left), but luckily I realized before I even got to the car, but of course it made me late. And yes, this was after I took the time to lay out my clothes last night...I just didn't realize I'd grabbed the wrong shoe. I feel like a dork still. Anyway, my times were pretty good, so I think it really is just the heat that's slowing me down. Ok, ok...I'm slow to begin with, but I did really well today (considering). If we hadn't run out of water I would have been under 3 hours at 13 miles, but I walked extra in the 12th mile to try and conserve engery, just because I wasn't sure I'd be able to find the next water stop (and I was totally out by Mile 10). I found it ok at Mile 13 and kept going. I'm super tired now though.

Only 9 more weeks till Denver! Monday will be the 2 month mark!

An article from Runners World online

2008-08-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

One thing that's really worrying me right now is not finishing my marathon in the time allowed...six hours. When I signed up back in March I remember thinking "Six hours?! That's PLENTY of time!" Well, it turns out that I'm slower than I thought I would be. I'm hoping that a lot of it is the heat and that over the next couple of months I'll natrually speed up, but I spend a lot of my free time computing pace times and worrying about this. My finish time doesn't matter a bit to me - I don't care if it takes me days to finish (ok, maybe I care a little because I'll get hungry) but I need a finish line there. I need the cheering crowd, the flashing camera and the finisher's medal...even if it comes with a 6+ hour finish time. So when I saw this article (taken from John Bingham's blog), it put things a little more in perspective and I feel a little bit better.

July 10, 2008
Motivation to Keep Trying

Dear John,

After getting out of the military several years ago I gave up on running. I had never liked it and found it boring. Two children and about 60 extra pounds later I decided I needed to get back in to shape. I mapped out a schedule and set off on my journey.
I should tell you that I am still overweight but very dedicated to my running and cross training. I entered a 10-K race that had a 90-minute time limit and a very small field of runners. When we took off from the starting line I was left going my slow comfortable pace while the rest of the field blazed away. It was discouraging but I continued on to finish in 1 hour 25 minutes, just under the cutoff and third from last.

I had been running well during training, yet when race day came, all the strength and motivation seemed to leave. I don't want to give up on running. Do you have ideas on why this may be happening and any suggestions on how to keep the motivation going? Even though I am slow, I have come to enjoy my time out on the roads. I just want to get better. - Jenny

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for the great e-mail. You have identified one of the most difficult parts of becoming a runner. How do you enjoy the process if the outcome isn’t what you expect? Well, the good news is, you can.

I finished last, or nearly last, in lots of races. One time, at a 10-K in Little Rock, Arkansas, by mile one I couldn’t see anyone in front of me. Luckily, another participant was kind enough to stay with me so that I wouldn’t get lost.

It can be discouraging if you’re comparing yourself to everyone else out there. I don’t. I only compare the “me” that I am now with the “me” that I used to me. As I tell people, if you think I look bad running, you should have seen me drunk.

I also remind myself that I am a work in progress. Even after nearly 17 years of running and walking I’m not what I want to be. Some goals I now realize that I’ll never achieve. Others, like completing a 50-K or 50-mile event, are still out there somewhere.
So, line up proud. You’re out there. You’re giving it your best shot. You’re changing your life with your own two feet. And that is something to celebrate!

Waddle on,

John

Randomness

2008-08-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty easy day, running-wise. Mike and I went down to the Bosque trail and I did my six mile run there. The rest of the group did a fun sounding trail run in the foothills and normally I'd be the first one there (ok, who are we kidding? Duff is late to everything) but my knee really freaked me out a couple of weeks ago and the marathon is 2 months and 10 days away (yeah, I'm counting) so I really don't want to risk it. It's total suckage though because I know the trail runs are fun and I can imagine that the views up there were amazing, but I'm getting to the point where I'm obsessed with getting to the starting line of my race and doing anything that may mess with that is not in the plan. Anyway, I did my 6 miles and to my astonishment I finished 8 minutes faster than I thought I would! Hooray!!

This afternoon we headed over to Mike's friend's parent's house for a matanza (a pig roast for you gringos) which ended up being fun. Well, as fun as a matanza can be when you don't eat pork. It seemed like everything else was pasta salad, but oh well...luckily I LOVE pasta salad so I was happy. :) We were able to see a few friends we hadn't seen in a while, so that in itself is always welcome.

Tonight we're going over to another friend's house and I'm so excited. It's actually a couple-friend and we have so much fun with them. They're getting married in two weeks, which I can't believe. I helped P propose to T in March of 07 (so it's been...what...a year and 5 months) and the time has just flown by. Between my insane work schedule, which has included way more out of town work that I intended when taking this job, my training, Mike's work and school schedules, and their crazy work schedules and wedding planning, we hardly get to see each other anymore.

So that's my Saturday in a nutshell. And in case you were wondering, I was supposed to be installing my CPA exam review software on my computer. Instead, you got to hear about my day. Now I'm going to go clean the house and maybe take a nap and then I'll think about intalling that software.

Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon And NYC Pics

2008-08-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

I registered. I feel a little crazy, especially considering I haven't run my first yet but I just couldn't turn it down. I absolutely love Seattle and I've been dying for a chance to take Mike for a couple of years now. It's not until June 27, 2009 so I have a little over 10 months...but in the meantime I also have Denver, the Jay Benson Triathlon (which I'm determined to do in May '09) and the CPA exam...sounds like a good time, no? Oh, and finishing up my busy government audit season and tax season will be starting in February...how could I forget?

So, now that I'm all stressed out thinking about how I have too much going on (did I mention one of my best friends is getting married in 2 weeks, and my sister is getting hitched in about 6 weeks too? AHHH!), here are some NYC pics that I promised a million years ago:

Me, on top of The Rock with the Empire State Building in the background.

Me and Jacque at Battery Park.

An awesome pic of the Statue of Liberty.

The view of the city walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

!!!!!!!!

2008-08-05T17:43:00.000-07:00

http://wherewilltheyrocknext.com/

I'm so there!

My life as I know it...

2008-08-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

has ended. I knew it would happen at one point or another. In fact, I knew it should have happened a couple of years ago. I've avoided it for a long time, come up with excuse after excuse...but the time has come. I'm going to sit for the CPA exam. In fact I'm on my way out the door right now to go get my application notarized so I can mail it off tomorrow. Or tonight. I know I should mail it off tonight...but the post office closes at 6.00 and I still have to get the money order for the outrageous exam fees and that won't be until at least 5.30. And, to top it off and to add extra pressure on myself, I'm forcing myself to pass this ridiculously hard test on the first try. Oh, and did I mention I'm planning on taking the first section the first week of October? Yeah, the marathon will be two weeks later.

Guess I can run my stress off.

But on a happier note, NYC was fab and I'll try and get some pictures up ASAP. Hopefully tonight! If you have myspace and are impatient you can see them at www.myspace.com/valduff.

Ouch ouch ouch

2008-07-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

First of all, upon the suggestion of a fellow Nestie, I added our Nike+ challenge to my page, which you see to your right. In case it's early in the morning (which it is for me, don't ask why I'm up at 9.00 on the only day I get to sleep in), I am Duffinger. SJE (who is insane) and Marcusrun are not Nesties, so we're pretending they don't exist until the Nestie who set up the challenge kicks them out of the competition. Trust me, I know it's hard to pretend that they aren't there when SJE has freakin' 86+ miles to my 42, but like I said...he's insane. So yeah, that's that. UPDATE 8/1: Crazy man SJE is no longer in our challenge. Darn. You guys shoulda seen his mileage! And I don't know what's up with Marcusrun...I'm guessing he's not uploading his runs. But either way, yours truly is in FIRST PLACE!

We had a pretty intense run yesterday. I say intense because horrible isn't really a great word to describe it. Horrible is a great word to describe how I feel right now, but not the run itself. The course was amazingly beautiful. We started at the Jemez Dam, went down to the Santa Ana Casino, then back to the dam. The views of the canyons and mountains were breathtaking...but so were the hills. In all it was 12 miles, but it felt like a million. And unfortunately, in order to get to the start, you had to drive the entire course. I was driving up there thinking oh my god, I am going to die out here.

I don't think it would have been too, too bad if my knee wasn't bothering me, but it is. In fact, I'm pretty sure I lost a kneecap somewhere along Mile 6. By Mile 10 I was seriously contemplating laying in the middle of the street and waiting for the next car to run over me...by that time several others in my group had finished and were headed home, so I wouldn't be laying there for long. If it weren't for one other runner - a girl I hadn't met until that morning - I'd probably still be laying there (because let's face it, everyone would have seen me and most likely would have driven around me).

The best part of it though was finishing (and I say that lightly because by the time I got to the parking lot I was walking/limping the last mile, which was STRAIGHT uphill) and going to the Hyatt Tamaya resort for a day pass to their swimming pools and hot tubs with another runner who's currently injured and had to sit this hellacious run out. We spent the rest of the morning swimming, laying by the pool sipping margaritas and relaxing in the hot tub. Today is a recovery day, so I'm going to just bum around the house. Fun times, man.

Also, speaking of fun times, I'm doing something so, so shameful. Something I thought I would never, ever do. I'm not running next weekend. I have a long run (well, it's a cut-back week) scheduled and I'm ignoring it. Granted, I'll probably walk triple that distance in NEW YORK CITY(!!!) but I will not be out there with my fellow Albuquerque Fitters. Yep, Duff is going to the Big Apple. My best friend in the entire world moved out there last year and I'm finally going to visit her and spending every available second with her is WAY more important than running my little buns off. So, look forward to lots of pictures of Duff and BFF-Duff soon. :)

I think I'm nuts

2008-07-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

I'm thisclose to running the San Antonio Rock n Roll Half Marathon on November 16. Four weeks after Denver. I love San Antonio. I love my friend who lives out there. Apparently I love running (I know! Who'd of thunk it!).

Eesh, I've lost my mind. And to all those people that said running was the cheapest sport I could get into - YOU'RE nuts! This stuff is EXPENSIVE!